POV: Aisha
I open my eyes and find myself in the back garden of my father's workshop. Everything looked like I remember it from 10 years ago, the few ash trees that hadn't been cut down yet for the stove, the dirt on the ground, the small patches of grass. My child hand was holding tight on a stick and my toes wriggled in the earth, my sandales on the side.
Wait a moment, child hand? Ah. I get it. I must be recalling a memory from my early childhood. I try closing my eyes again so that I can wake up but my vision keeps working. My arm stretches and starts digging in the dirt, drawing something.
The sound of a door closing behind alerts me of my father's presence and I turn towards him, my heart warms, he looks exactly like I recall him, short black hair, sharp eyes and his singular scar on his left hand from where he had cut it. He'd told me that he had gotten it when he had first tried to cook. 'Blunt knives are more dangerous than sharp ones when in a kitchen because you don't expect them to hurt you.'
-Papa! Look at what I drawed!
He comes closer and smiles.
-What you've 'drawed' is very pretty Aisha, do you want to tell me what it is?
Little me shakes her head.
-No, you guess!
At my request, he sounds a bit perplexed but crouches next to my young self and examines the strange piece of art i had drawn.
-Is it...an apple?, he asks, making fun of me.
-No silly!, answers my younger self whilst sticking out my tongue, Apples are ew!
I laugh inwardly at what younger me had said, I learned fast.
-Well, it's so well drawn that my mind can't understand what you're trying to show, so ... could you maybe explain to me what your drawing is?
Little me giggles and then points at the drawing with her stick.
-It's mommy! Look, there is her dress and there is her crown!
My voice sounded full of happiness, however, papa looked full of another emotion. Back then I hadn't been able to identify it but now I could read his face as if it were an open book. Nostalgia.
-Why is mommy wearing a crown? he asks after a moment.
-People in the village often say that she was the queen of your heart, I mark a pause, Papa, where is mommy?
-She is on a trip dear, she is going back to see her family.
-Oh, the when will she come back?, I ask impatiently.
-I don't know sweetheart, but until then, we will have to be patient, okay? Now let's go back inside, I've made some soup, it's a bit burnt but it still tastes good. Hurry up, Ofsgard is waiting inside.
I nod my head vigorously and follow him inside, my hand in his.
As a child, I was a bit brighter than some other kids in the village, maybe that's why I didn't believe a single word dad had told me back then. When I asked people about my mom, each one would answer different things but all of those answers were fake, I don't know how I was so certain about it, I just was.
Eventually, I had reached an age where the barricades I had put up against the truth came down and everybody's lies were ineffective. The reason why mom wasn't there wasn't because she was on a trip or some other bullshit, the reason why I had never seen my mom was that she had lost her life giving birth to me.
Dad and I walk into the kitchen and I wave my hand towards Ofsgard, a new dwarf apprentice of my father's. I sit down at the table while kicking the legs of the chair opposite to my position. A basket of burnt toast was in front of me and my small hands were holding onto my empty bowl, waiting for papa to fill it up with some bean soup. As soon as he does I put my hands in prayer and whisper out:
-I thank the gods for the food on this table, when I finish giving thanks, I lift the bowl up to my lips and chug down the pasty bean soup. Very ummy dad, very ummy!, he laughs and pats my head before going back to his meal.
Suddenly, high pitched scream sounds and horses neighing are heard.
I turn my head towards papa but he are already out of his seat looking through the window. Even before he turned back at us, I knew what was happening and wish with every fibber of my being that I might stop him from staying here with Ofsgard fighting the army but I can't, this is a memory and what is done cannot come undone.
Papa goes to next to Ofsgard and tells him something in his ear that I could not distinguish, but that I could easily guess since he immediately left after picking his loyal axe Morna up and ran towards the village with an ear splitting battle cry.
-Dady, what's happening?, my voice was uncertain and shook a bit but he still managed to give me a have smile.
-Nothing important, he took a moment of pause and then picked me up from my chair and exited our house, Let's play a game Aisha.
At his words my face didn't change much, something was definitely wrong here and papa's face looked very strange.
-Here are the rules: you run as fast as you can towards the other side of the forest, you don't stop, you don't come back here and you don't go to any human village around here.
-Ok dad but what do you mean by human? And why are you not coming with me?, I ask.
He sets me down and only then do I see the fire starting to spread behind him in the village.
-Listen, there's no time to waste, you need to run!, he shouts.
My eyes well up and I take a step back, startled, this was the first time ever that papa yelled at me.
-Run!
Not knowing any better, I listen to him and start running. No. Don't leave him! He is going to die! Thoughts run through my head and I cry internally from frustration.
I continue crying and running and don't look back, feeling as if that would break papa's trust.
I suddenly bump into someone and I take a step back.
Before me stood a woman I knew only too well. Kipo. Her dark leather jacket that is now mine and her long pink hair and yellow eyes were all too familiar and guilt swallows me whole as I look into her gaze.
I was shivering and tears were rolling down my cheeks.
Kipo leaned in and wiped away my tears with the back of her hand.
-What happened? Why are you here in your own?, her voice was smooth and she spoke as gently as possible so that I wouldn't be startled.
-F-fire, p-papa, g-game, my voice kept on trembling and pity shot through Kipo's eyes. S-sorry.
-Sorry about what?
-I c-can't t-talk c-correctly and I b-broke a rule, I stopped r-running.
Kipo I leans in and puts a strand of my hair behind my ear and asks:
-What are the rules?
After a moment of silence between us and the sound of screaming in the background, I open my mouth.
-D-Don't stop running, don't g-go to human villages, r-run to the other s-side of the forest as far as you c-can and don't come b-back home, I answer her after hesitating a bit.
-Come, follow me, I know a place where you will be safe. A hidden village.
-Is it a human one?
She smiles at me warmly and opens her mouth to answer. No no no no. Don't follow her Aisha, don't follow her! You are the reason she dies, if it weren't for your stupidity, you wouldn't have let that human come in and Kipo wouldn't have blowed up by a bomb in attempt of stopping the army!
-No. It isn't. It is a beautiful sanctuary hidden in the heart of this forest's Mother tree.
I take her hand and follow her through the forest, leading me to the cliff with the invisible bridge.
I bolt awake covered in cold sweat and look frenetically around me. Kalatril was sleeping peacefully next to the camping fire we had made after escaping from the dungeons. The night sky covered everything with its silence and I breath deeply. Just a dream, nothing else.
I look down at my jacket that I had folded as a cushion and hug it tightly.
-I am sorry mom, dad, Kipo, I whisper out.
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Tada!
Told you I'd do it! I published two chapters in one night!
Yes, it is Wednesday, but I really wanted to do this so here you go.
(This chapter is a bit small but it is a part of Aisha's backstory so I it's very important to me, hope you don't mind)
Good night, I'm sleepy 🥱
(1552 words)