Blue skies of painted details lined the world, an image that painted such saccharine memories in ones mind. For if only a moment, it drew the concerns away and lulled the restless into peaceful content. The wind's gentle caress against her face resembled the gentle touch of a mother's gentle hand.
The clomping of hooves against the hard earth and heavy clatter of cart wheels against stones was as consistent as the ticking of an old clock, and the rustic wood cart beneath her form felt like home.
The air was crisp, punctured by the scent of pine and moisture, with the cool breeze a comfortable contrast against the humidity it held. She could feel the warmth of the sun shining overhead enveloping her in a comfortable haze, and it made concentrating on the book within her grip a difficult task, indeed. Instead, all she wanted to do was stare out at the ever-passing scenery and take it all in.
The outdoors was a bountiful, beautiful world full of life, where even the most mismatched colours were still beautiful and the symphony of nature was the music that guided life.
'Saki!' A soft voice called out, though she scarcely even realized anyone had spoken. 'Saki! Come down here!'
'Oi, Saki Girl!' Barked a louder, much deeper voice, jostling the girl right out of her thoughts. She snapped her gaze upwards to the front of the hefty cart, to see the driver turned in the seat to look back at her. He was a man with dark skin and raven hair, which was contrasted with the lightest green eyes Saki had ever seen in a person. 'Your Ma's calling you. Are you half-deaf, now?'
A squeak escaped the girl as she jostled to awareness, a faint blush of embarrassment overcoming her sun-bronzed face as she scrambled quickly to her feet.
'O-oh! Thank you Vano!' She responded quickly, and without stumbling once with the swaying of the horse-drawn cart or the sweeping folds of her full-length lavender skirt, she swung herself over the edge.
The familiar fluttering of cloth caught in the air rung as Saki's nimble form swung around towards the opened door at the back of the cart, where she landed with a sudden squeal into a pair of waiting arms.
'Oof! Saki!' A pleasant laugh sounded overhead as the form of her mother set her gently down. 'You're getting so big, now! I won't be able to catch you anymore if you get any bigger!'
'I'm not that big, Mama!' Saki whined indignantly.
'Not yet, but you're already eight years old.' Her mother responded with a small, patronizing pat of Saki's head before she shifted to sit down on the bench attached to the side of the cart wall. 'Come, stand just over here. I've finished it.'
The girl's mother was a twenty-something woman with an olive-brown complexion and dark features to accompany it. Her long, wavy black hair was pulled back beneath an ornate purple sash with gold tassels and beads hanging down, and her clothes were a white off-shoulder blouse, low-sweeping skirt in a deep scarlet, and her wrists and ankles were adorned with delicate strings of bells and gold, decorative coins. Around her waist, she wore a purple triangle of cloth around one side, which trailed down near her ankles at the end.
The woman lifted a large sheet of pastel orange material from the bench at her side, with intricately embroidered leaves and flowers in white emblazoning the bottom hemming like a myriad of petals against an evening sky. Silver bells hung from the material like tassels, sounding soft, chiming sounds among the harsh clattering of the horse-drawn cart around them.
Carefully, Saki's mother lifted the large square of material, folding it in half diagonally before she turned and proceeded to tie the cloth neatly around Saki's waist.
'This, you wear around your waist like I do mine,' Saki was instructed as she stared down at the gorgeous cloth in awe. 'It's a little big now, but when you're older, it will fit. When it's cold, you wear it around your shoulders like a shawl.'
'It's so pretty!' Saki gushed as she cast a beaming smile up at the kindly woman.
'I'm glad you like it.' Her mother responded with a light laugh. 'I've also got this for you.'
And a second later, Saki found herself surprised as a long chain of gold was brought over her head to hang around her neck.
'Th-this is...?' The girl spoke as she looked down at the chain, to find a large, somewhat flattened stone the size of a persimmon attached to the end. It was a dark, almost midnight blue, with fractures of golds, purples, greens and pearl white shimmering through the polished stone like the various leaves of a tree, drawing Saki's gaze so effortlessly, it felt like she couldn't tear her gaze away from it.
'It's a very special stone your Da found the very day you were born, Saki.' Her mother told her, lifting the stone so Saki could look at it better. 'It's an Opal, and we believe it's a special stone that will protect you.'
'Ooh! Is it a magic stone?!'
'Yes, it is. It's magic that can only work if you keep it with you.' Her mother agreed with a light smile. 'That's why I want you to wear it beneath your clothes at all times where nobody can see it, alright?'
And in immediate response, Saki grinned brightly and stuffed the large gemstone beneath her blouse.
Between the new accessory and the protection stone, she felt blessed in almost every way.
But all good things had to come to an end, and this instance ended with the sudden clanging of a horse crop against metal, bringing both Saki and her mother to freeze in their tracks.
Tink tink tink... Echoed the tapping, followed by the sudden shift of gravity as the horses dragging the cart whinnied and slowed in their harnesses. Saki's mother gasped as Vano's call sounded in an attempt at calming the two mares under his control.
'Quick Saki! Time to move!' Her mother urged her with a harsh whisper, pushing her towards the centre of the cart with frantic motions as the cart drew to a gradual halt beneath their feet.
Saki didn't need telling twice; Her nimble fingers desperately prying an almost seamless trap door open in the floor of the cart.
Within was a crawlspace barely large enough to squeeze into, Saki's mother quickly tossed their belongings inside before she shoved the girl inside. With barely enough space, the woman managed to squeeze herself inside between Saki and their luggage and pull the trap door shut over the top of them.
It was in this instance that Vano's voice echoed faintly overhead, peppered only by the struggling motions the woman made to slide the drawbar across to keep the trap door fixed firmly in place.
'Where am I going? Merely back home to Tanbarum in the far west.' Vano's voice barely echoed through the walls of the tiny crawlspace. 'I've had more than enough of being conned by nomadic merchants for one lifetime.'
'Is that so?' A faint, almost wheezing voice drawled from outside. 'Then you wouldn't mind if my men were to take a casual glance within your covered cart? Just to clarify that you are not in fact transporting heretics and witches out of the country.'
'By all means, feel free.' Vano responded.
Boots clunked against the rocky ground outside as multiple forms approached from the front of the cart, combined with the harsh knock of spears tapping against the various surfaces of the cart itself.
With every sound, Saki buried her face more into her mother's chest, struggling to keep even her breath from causing any sounds.
Crashes echoed overhead as the few storage crates were upended over the floor of the cart, the smashing of pewter plates and cutlery, before finally, it appeared every nook and cranny had been searched.
'Father Nerus, the cart is clear.' A voice reported as the forms disembarked the tiny horse-drawn cart.
'Clear, is it?' The wheezing voice hummed momentarily. 'Well I guess it can't be helped, then.'
Were they free to go? Saki's breath hitched as she heard a rather sadistic chuckle echo before long.
'Execute him as a Heretic, regardless.' Nerus commanded. 'Tanbarum won't be missing just one senile merchant.'
'Wh-what!?' Vano's horrified gasp was all that he managed to get out, before the slashing of steel and an agonized cry shook the cart, followed by a second scything sound to cut the man short.
Tears brimmed Saki's eyes as her mother frantically covered her mouth to muffle the choking cry threatening to escape.
The deafening thud of a lifeless body crashing to the hard ground sounded, along with the distraught shrieks of the two horses.
'Well, that was pitifully uneventful.' Came Nerus' cold chuckle once the horses had been forcibly calmed. 'You two, dump the heretic back in his cart and discard the rest near the border with the others. The bloodier the better. And don't grant him a passing blessing, either!'
'Yes, Father Nerus.' A duo of men nearest the front of the cart responded.
The dispersing sounds of footsteps was the only sound that the faceless men had begun to move on, with the shuffling sounds of the two remaining echoing as they began to follow their orders. Faint groans escaped them as they hauled Vano's lifeless body into the cart and discarded him with a careless drop to the wood floor.
And with the sudden crack of the horse crop, the cart began to move.
Saki's trembling form clutched to her mother desperately as she struggled to stop herself from hyperventilating. The walls of the crawlspace felt like they were closing in on her, no matter how the woman with her tried to soundlessly calm her down, and with every painstaking, terrifying second that passed by, she could feel a thick fluid drip down onto her from the wood flooring right over them.
Her tears poured without end as they were lead to what may very well be their demise.
The rocking and clattering of cart wheels against the ground was almost deafening, drowning out all sounds to replace it with rumbling so loud she could mistake it for thunder. It blocked whatever discussion the two faceless men had, blocked every sound from her grasp. Until finally, the cart seemed to come to an abrupt halt and the horses let out displeased whinnies in the dark night.
'It seems like such a shame to be rid of the horses as well...' One of the two men spoke in distaste as heavy feet landed upon what sounded to be grassy floor. 'We could at least use them, or sell them to the masses to line the coffers.'
'Our orders are just.' Another, deeper voice barked. 'The livestock of heretics are a tainted plague on the land as are the witches and heretics themselves.'
'I know, I know...' The other groaned out. 'It just feels like a waste...'
And just as the slicing of steel echoed with menacing force, a hand rose to clasp firmly over Saki's mouth to cut the distraught cry short as the sounds of shrieking rung through the heavy air.
The violent shaking and jerking of the cart shook their trembling forms as the horses fought and struggled to flee. However, their screams fell to gurgling splutters before the cart slumped forwards towards the ground as they collapsed.
'Come, we need to return to Father Nerus before we are missed.' The deeper voice commanded.
And with nothing more than a vague grunt in response, both faceless men wandered off, with nothing but their heavy boots upon grass sounding the signs of their departure.
The two trembled within the crawlspace of the cart as they waited, giving their would-be executors all the time they could to leave the grounds in their entirety. The dripping of the fluid from above increased, filling the crawlspace with a pungent odour so foul it was nauseating just to try and breathe.
'M-Mama I want to go outside...' Saki whimpered.
'Not yet, sweethea--' Her mother was cut off as a choking sob escaped the girl in her grasp. 'Just a little longer, I promise.'
No response escaped the girl as her breathing quickened, and the woman's hands closed tighter around her.
'Saki, calm down.' She commanded, but it was no use.
The terror and panic had set in, and she had begun to hyperventilate.
The sounds of the drawbar hastily being slid aside ground deafening through the crawlspace, loosening the trap door just enough for the trickling fluid from above to almost pour down with an audible splattering, and the light of the moon began to peek through the cracks as a hand reached up to try and lift the slab of wood.
Saki's panicked form didn't hesitate to shove against the wood with all her might, bringing it to crack open just enough for her to drag herself through.
Her hands slid in the black fluid that had spread over the floor as she tried to clamber out completely, however as soon as she had managed to get herself half-way out, she froze dead in her tracks.
Vano's form lay mangled and limp right there in front of her, with his head dismembered from his body and his entrails spilled across the floor.
And with the sudden tumbling of her body crashing to a hard-wood floor from the safety of her hammock, the much older Saki awoke from the pit of nightmares.
The resounding thud of her body slamming against the floor was enough to snap her straight out of the grasp of sleep, and yet as the after-images flickered in her mind, not even the hand clasping over her mouth was enough to halt the prompt action of her stomach emptying itself of everything it contained.
Heaving, choking breaths were all she could manage to draw in as she struggled to calm the painful racing of her heart and the nausea still lurching within her. And yet, a humourless chuckle escaped her before long.
'You forgot the draught... you stupid girl...' She scolded herself as she managed to ease back into a more upright position on the floor. 'You should know by now... You weren't exhausted enough to go without it...'
A rather meek and startled meow sounded from the far corner of the room, bringing Saki to groggily lift her head. The ebony-coat and emerald eyes cowering in the corner of the room was barely visible through the faint morning light showing through the thatching in the roof.
It brought Saki to recall the furball that had curled up in her lap just before she slept, and she could only let out a weary breath.
'Sorry, I scared you, didn't I?' She spoke, though she didn't expect a response. Instead, her thoughts were immediately upon how terrible a morning she was having already, and the immediate task of cleaning up after her spontaneous stomach.
She decided that she really should leave a bucket under her hammock for the possible repeat of such misfortune.
However, it was just as she had managed to clean the bulk of the mess up that there was a knock at her front door.
'What on earth...?' Saki huffed as she glared at the stairs leading downstairs. 'That had better not be Shirayuki...'
Regardless of Saki's more pleasant outlook on the young woman than most others, that didn't mean she was particularly pleased with the idea that the woman would be making more visits in the future.
With a disgruntled sigh, Saki tossed the spoiled rag into the pail of water, dragged on her tunic over-shirt and a scarf before making her way downstairs. She didn't hesitate to tug the scarf upwards to cover the bottom half of her face, and prayed that her visitor was at least compliant to the demands of "get lost".
The pleased clucking of the hoard of feathery chickens devouring that bag of grain was all Saki could detect as she unlocked the front door and tugged it open. However, the sight she found on the other side was the worst one she could have ever imagined.
It was somewhere around six in the morning, and there stood none other than Obi at her door, clad in his usual attire and sly smile to go along with it. What made matters worse was the obvious lift of a questioning brow as he took in Saki's undeniably atrocious appearances.
'What did I do in my past life to earn this unpleasant sight so early in the morning?' Saki commented, undeniably with far less tact than what was probably necessary. Of course, she was in no mood to remotely care, either which way.
'I take it you're not a morning person, Miss Maid?' The sly man commented, with no lack of amusement on his part.
'If you're here just to make my life miserable, then take a hike.' Saki seethed as she went to shut the door on him.
Of course, just as she had grudgingly expected, a hand shot up against the rough wooden surface to stop her.
'Now now, I'm actually here on my Master's orders.' Obi informed her, which unfortunately tugged at Saki's curiosity enough to have her fix him with a frown.
'And I care, why?'
If possible, the sly glint in the man's eye seemed to grow stronger, and all Saki wanted to do was slam the door in his face.
'Because I'm to escort you to the Castle to speak with my Master after the stunt you pulled last night.' He informed her with obvious amusement. 'And I've been told that I'm to hang around until you decide to do so.'
Saki's gaze narrowed quite considerably upon the man who was fast becoming one of the last people she ever wanted to see alive again when she was already in such a foul mood.
'And who is this "master" of yours?' She asked.
'The Second Prince, Ze--' Was all Obi managed to get out before the door slammed in his face with a resounding bang.
--=[Submitted 27th May 2018]=--