Lord Din paced in the office of the Mayor, grinding his teeth together in anger. The young Lord Din, only thirty-three years of age, was very angry. Angry and embarrassed because of what that stupid Meenu had done.
“What exactly seems to be the problem?” The Mayor asked.
The Mayor, unlike Lord Din, was a very calm man. Fifty-six years of life made him wise and able to tolerate people like Lord Din and even Meenu.
Though he was old, he didn’t really look it. He was somewhat short, definitely shorter then Lord Din, but not too short. He was a little rounder then most men, but definitely not fat. His hair covered his whole head and was still blonde, but much of it was fading into a grey colour. He was also gaining a few wrinkles around his eyes.
Mayor Gryre only owned waistcoats, breeches, top hats and pocket watches. He was highly sophisticated and very educated and that showed quite well in his outfits. And though he was very smart, he was not at all good with a sword or a bow and arrow. However, when he needed to, he could pick up a sword, as he had done years past, as a young man.
“Well, Lord Din?” The Mayor asked. “You look more troubled then you need to be.”
“She attacked Blood!” Lord Din yelled as he stood up. “Do you know what that could have cost us?”
The Mayor looked up from his papers and at Lord Din, a little bit annoyed with his constant complaints. “She’s a child.” He said. “Children do foolish things.”
Lord Din scoffed. “So you don’t see the problem with her attacking Blood?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Besides, she isn’t a child!” He said. “She’s turning eighteen very soon. That’s well past the age of womanhood.”
“A girl will not be a true woman until she is married.” The Mayor said.
“Well that girl needs to get married soon.” Lord Din said. “It’s unfortunate for all of us that no one is willing to take her as a bride. Not that I blame them.”
“That is enough, Lord Din.” The mayor said, adjusting his eyeglasses. “I will not have you speaking like that about a decent young woman.”
“Decent?” Lord Din asked, snorting. “She is anything but that.”
“My Lord.” The Mayor called, a little harshly. “She is a pure girl. She may be mischievous but that does not make her any less of a decent girl.”
Lord Din looked at the Mayor. “What will you do about this, Mayor? Will you let Blood get angry?”
The Mayor sighed, looking back down at his papers. “I will speak to Blood and ask him to forgive her for her actions.”
“And will you speak to her?”
“Yes, Lord Din.” The Mayor said. “I will talk to Meenu as well.”
“Good.” Lord Din finally looked satisfied. “Put the unlucky brat in her place.”
Meenu knocked hard on her door and groaned. “Mother! Let me out!” She yelled. Knight howled after she spoke.
“Not until you acknowledge what you have done wrong.” Her mother said from the other side of the door.
“I did nothing wrong!” Meenu responded.
Her mother finally opened the door, anger showing in her green eyes. “You shot your arrow at a warrior. Do you know how dangerous that is, young lady?”
Meenu looked her mother in the eyes. “I was just trying to get his attention!”
“By shooting an arrow at him?” Her mother scoffed. “Foolish girl! Your poor father had to go to the Mayor and apologize for your sake.”
“I did not ask for that.”
“Meenu Kyrus!” Her mother yelled. “Will you stop this? Don’t make me get your father to snap that bow of yours in half and forbid you from leaving to hunt those disgusting ogres.”
Meenu turned around and crossed her arms.
Her mother shut the door and locked it from the outside once more. “I will let you out once you’ve apologized for what you’ve done and promise not to do such a thing ever again.”
And as Meenu went to hit her hands against the door, she heard her mother walk away.
Meenu groaned and walked over to her desk.
She sat down at her seat and started to flip through one of the books her father had bought her. As she did, Knight came and rested his head on her lap.
Meenu ran her fingers through his fur. “She can keep me in here forever if she wants. I’m never apologizing. I really was trying to get his attention. That’s all.”
Knight looked up at her with sad eyes and she felt bad, knowing that Knight hated being cooped up in this small room of hers.
She leaned forward and kissed Knight’s head and kept petting him as she flipped through the book of hers.
But two pages in, she was bored and set the book aside.
She leaned against her chair and looked out the window of her room. She would have climbed out if she could, but her father had bolted bars in front of the windows to prevent her from running out during the night to go hunt more monsters.
Meenu sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, she found herself looking at the red rose that sat in a vase on her desk.
She smiled, not really knowing why, as she reached over and pulled the rose out of the vase and looked at it.
It was as real as a rose could be, and as beautiful as a rose could be too.
But it would never die.
Once, a few years back, Meenu had pulled a petal off.
She didn’t understand why but after seeing the petal fall to the ground, she had a great panic attack and did everything she could to try and attach it back on.
Of course, she couldn’t.
So she kept that petal sewn onto her quiver. And it has been there for years now, without withering.
In the past she wondered hard for long hours trying to remember where she got such a rose from. She would like to give one to Alissa if she could find one. But she could never remember where it came from. Not even her parents knew.
She just had it.
Meenu still had the smile on her face as she looked at the rose. She then held it at her nose, and took a deep breath.
It still smelled lovely too.
Suddenly, she heard her door click open.
Knight’s ears rose as Meenu turned and saw her brother walk in through her door. “Why has mother locked you in here?”
Excitement overfilled Meenu as she put the rose down and ran into her older brother’s arms.
Knight barked as he jumped around them, rubbing his head against the brother that Meenu had not seen for months now.
She hugged him tightly and he hugged her back.
“Welcome home!” She said to him, kissing his cheek.
Her brother chuckled and smiled warmly at her when she let go of him.
“How was the training?”
“Harsh.” Her brother, Andrus said. “But we were training on the King’s ground, and that was magnificent. I hope I can take you to see it one day. It’s beautiful.”
Meenu grinned. “Please!”
He smiled. “Now tell me, Meenu, why has mother locked you up?”
Meenu frowned now. “She is cruel.”
“But she said you did something horrible and must apologize.”
“I shot an arrow at a warrior. His name is Blood, do you know him?”
Andrus shook his head, his short black hair was a little longer now and it moved as he did. “Blood? What kind of name is that?”
“I think it is his fake name. To hide his identity. He even wears a mask.”
“Why did you shoot him?”
“I didn’t hit him… I simply wanted his attention.”
Her brother laughed. “Silly girl.”
Though he was laughing at her, Meenu smiled.
She watched her adopted brother as he shook his head at her. She loved this boy very much, though he wasn’t truly blood.
Because he was adopted, he looked nothing like Meenu’s mother. But since he was an orphan from the Kyrus family, he had their black hair and black eyes. And he did look a little like her father, tall and handsome like most of the Kyrus men. But unlike her father, Andrus had sharper features. A sharper nose and a somewhat pointy chin. It was those features that made him look different.
After Meenu’s mother had given birth to her, she could no longer give birth to another child, and because her father’s family wanted him to have a son very badly, her father adopted this orphan boy.
And Meenu was grateful that he did, as Andrus was wonderful to her and loved her dearly and protected her from many of the villagers who chose to make fun of her.
“Meenu, I’m sorry but I must agree with your mother here. She is right to be angry with you, sister.”
Meenu sighed.
“Apologize to her and acknowledge your mistake and she will let you go. That’s all you must do.”
Meenu sighed again. “I guess what I did was a little stupid.”
“A little?”
“A lot.”
“Good.” Her brother smiled. “Now go tell your mother what you have told me.”
Meenu pouted, but knew that that was the only way to get out of the room.
She did as her brother told her to and her mother smiled in victory. And as expected, she let Meenu and Knight run free again.
And they did just that.
Meenu left her village as quickly as she could and when she arrived at the Feyran Forest, she took a deep breath.
She then turned around and looked at Knight, but noticed his ears pointed up as he listened for something.
Meenu started to listen too.
And when she heard what Knight was hearing, she knew they weren’t alone.
But it was not an ugly ogre that they were hearing.
Meenu’s heart raced strangely as she heard the music echoing through the forest. It was a soft tune that made her feel so calm and relaxed and happy.
She closed her eyes and focused on the music. And then she recognized the tune that was being played by the flute.
But she couldn’t figure out what song it was or where she had heard it originally.
“Knight, follow that sound.” Meenu said, since she couldn’t figure out where it was coming from herself.
Knight looked around before he started to run in the direction of the tune.
It got louder and louder and Meenu got dizzy, forcing herself to stop for a moment before she ran again.
Eventually, Knight slowed down, and when he did, the music stopped too.
Meenu looked around and then noticed someone sitting high up on the branch of a tall, tall tree.
She saw him looking at the wooden flute he held in his hand, and then he set it on his lap and looked at the sky, though it was hard to see because of this dense forest they were in.
Knight’s ears suddenly drooped as he stepped behind Meenu. And when he did, Meenu noticed something.
She narrowed her eyes and noticed that it was the Masked Man from the day before. Except his face was showing and his mask was hanging on his belt around his waist
She took a step forward, wanting to see his face, but the second she did the Masked Man disappeared.
Meenu’s heart jumped when he appeared in front of her, his mask on his face again. She stepped back quickly, but tripped over her own feet and fell down.
“Hm.” The Masked Man looked down at her. “Egoistic and clumsy, huh?”
Meenu glared at him. “What song was that you were playing?” Meenu asked, wanting an answer more than wanting to be friendly with this man.
The man’s head tilted, but he held his hand out. “What song?”
Meenu hesitated, not knowing if she should take his hand. But she did, and he pulled her up, back to her feet. “That song, you were playing it on your flute.”
He held his head up straight again. “The lullaby?”
“It’s a lullaby?”
“Yes, it is.” He said. “It’s called the Land of Love.”
Meenu hesitated. “I’ve never heard of that one. What are the words?”
“I don’t remember.” He said. “But I remember the tune.”
“Did your mother play it for you?”
The Masked Man let out a small laugh. “When I was very young and she was happy and well, yes.”
Meenu fell silent as she tried hard to remember where she had heard that song. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not figure it out.
She shook her head and looked at the masked man, who seemed to be watching her. “What?” Meenu asked.
“Have you attempted to take my advice?” He asked her.
Meenu glared. “I don’t need your advice.”
“Give it a try.” He said. “C’mon.”
Meenu shook her head. “My aim is perfect.”
“Then shoot that leaf that is falling.”
Meenu looked at him and saw him pointing at a leaf.
She smiled and pulled out her bow and loaded it with an arrow. “Easy.” She said. She then aimed and shot quickly.
And to her surprise, she missed.
Blood shook his head, laughing. He then pulled out his own bow and arrow, loaded it and then released, all in one quick move.
The arrow shot through the very same leaf that he had told her to shoot and when it hit the trunk of a tree in front of them, Meenu took a breath.
“Still think you’re better then me?” Blood asked as he put his bow back in its sheath.
Meenu let out her breath and loaded another arrow into her bow. She pushed aside her ego, wanting very badly to do what he had just done.
“See, this is what you’re doing wrong.” He said as he stepped closer to her.
As he did though, Meenu was suddenly distracted by the smell of his skin. It filled her nose with a pleasurable smell and her heart started to beat a little faster.
But she blinked and focused on the target, another leaf falling from a tree.
Blood took her hand and lifted it slightly higher. “This small change will make your aim better.” He said as he walked around her, checking her posture.
He then hit the small of her back with the back of his hand, making her straighten her posture. “Straighten your back completely and push out your chest.”
She, surprisingly enough, did as he said.
“Now release once you’ve aimed.”
She eyed the leaf for a moment and then released the arrow.
The arrow slit through one side of the leaf, but unlike Blood, she didn’t pierce through the center of it.
“Better.” Blood said.
Meenu loaded another arrow to try again. And again, and again, and again.
And though Meenu could not see it, Blood was smiling. To him, Meenu seemed like an annoying little girl… but he was impressed by her determination to be as good as he was.
A long time passed as Meenu silently tried to shoot the leaves and as Blood watched, he became curious.
“Do you want to be a warrior?” He asked after she had shot maybe fifty times.
“Yes.” She said. “Or a knight. It doesn’t really matter… but more warriors are archers, and archery is what I’m good at.”
“A young woman aspiring to be a warrior. That is rare.”
Meenu turned around and looked at the Masked Man who was sitting on the ground, leaning against the trunk of a tree. “The Northern villages have armies that consist of mostly women.”
“That’s true.” He said. “They live quite differently then us though, women are considered the stronger and more important gender because of their child birthing abilities up there.”
“Have you been there before?” Meenu asked him as she went to retrieve her arrows.
“I’ve been everywhere.”
She grasped onto the arrow and pulled hard on it, almost falling back when it finally came out of the tree trunk.
Suddenly, the Masked Man was by her side, startling her. He easily pulled the rest of the arrows out of the trunk, as if he were pulling them out of a cake, and handed them to her.
“What is it that you do exactly?” She asked, looking at his white mask.
“I cannot say.” The man said. “It’s a secret.”
Meenu frowned. “What were you doing in our village?”
“I cannot say.” He said again.
Meenu’s frown deepened. “You’re a spy, aren’t you?”
Blood chuckled as he turned and walked back to the tree trunk he was sitting at.
“And I thought you said you were busy, what are you doing sitting around here?”
“I cannot say.” He said, yet again.
Meenu rolled her eyes and loaded her bow again. “You are a spy.” She said, rather confident in her guessing. “Only spies try so hard to hide everything about themselves.”
“Think what you want.” He said. “Now, tell me girl, what’s your name again?”
“I can’t say.” Meenu said as she shot her arrow.
The Masked Man laughed and turned his head to Knight, who was sitting patiently and watching Meenu. “Your pet is a wolf. Taming a wolf is a difficult task, I’m surprised an impatient child like you could do that.”
“Knight is a smart, kind and brave wolf. He’s not like the others.”
“Knight is his name? That’s a nice name. But why does this Knight have only three legs?” The Masked Man examined the wolf that sat there, holding itself up with only one of its front legs as the other one was missing.
Meenu lowered her bow, a sudden sadness rushing through her, but she hid it by loading another arrow and shooting yet again. “An ogre infiltrated our village a few years back. I went to help fight it but it almost killed me. Knight lost his leg protecting me from that ogre.”
Blood nodded his head. “I see.” He said. “Dogs and wolves are noble creatures. They love you no matter your reputation or how you look or what you think. They are quite different then humans. Much better then them, if you ask me.”
Meenu turned to Blood and smiled. She agreed with him.
And she was a little happy he thought that way because not many others did.
Many of the villagers feared Knight like the plague. They were frightened that he would turn into the savage beast he was meant to be and destroy our village with his three legs.
The minds of her villagers angered her quite often.
“You’re right.” Meenu said to him as she turned back around. “Knight is the most noble friend I have.”
Blood let out a small laugh. “I think I’d like myself a wolf.”
Knight stood up and strutted over to Meenu, rubbing against her leg. She lowered her bow and sat down next to him, kissing him and scratching his head. “The villagers misunderstand us.”
Blood watched the girl in amusement. It was clear that she loved that mutt very much and it made him wonder how she could be such a stupid girl when she was such a loving one.
But for some reason, she continuously seemed to make him smile.
Even when she shot an arrow at him… her attempts made him smile. And her arguments made him smile.
And normally… it was quite impossible to make a man like Blood smile.
Meenu looked up when she heard branches snap.
She turned her head and saw Blood standing.
“I must be off.” He said to her. “I’m a busy man.”
Meenu narrowed her eyes and stood up. “Wait…” She started but paused, feeling her cheeks heat up. She looked at the ground. “I… I’m sorry for shooting that arrow at you… I wasn’t trying to be a nuisance.”
Blood was smiling again.
“Hmm.” He started. “I believe I have misunderstood you as well. I imagined you would be quite the spoiled snob. I guess I was wrong.”
Meenu looked at him.
“If you keep practicing, I am sure you can become a warrior one day. Knights are more strict about letting women in… but warriors are not nearly as bad.” He said. “So keep practicing. And we will meet again one day.”
“Wait!” Meenu called again as Blood prepared to leave.
He looked at her, waiting for her to speak.
She hesitated and pushed her ego aside once again. “Will you teach me?” She asked. “Teach me how to be a warrior!”
Blood laughed now.
But he was impressed yet again by this young girl.
“Please?” Meenu asked, desperately wanting to be as good as this man made himself look.
He lifted his head slightly. “Tell me your name and I will consider it.”
“Meenu!” She said right away. “My name is Meenu!”
He smiled. Of course, she couldn’t see it. “Alright Meenu. We will meet again… sooner then expected.”
And with that, he disappeared.
Right in front of her eyes.
Meenu’s heart skipped a beat.
She couldn’t wait to be able to do something like that.