We are all a little lonely
these days aren't we?
Atticus
The morning sun broke through as light gusts of wind brushed through the grasses and swayed the leaves.
The little girl stood with her hands stretched out in opposite directions, the wind ruffled her hair smattering it on her face as her eyes closed to relish in the peace that she had found at the moment.
The light tunes of the wind were like melody in her ears as her lips tilted upwards, she was oblivious to every other thing around her. She couldn't hear even the humming of the birds nor her name being screamed from twenty meters away
"Cyane!" She snapped out of her reverie, as her gaze fixed on the person who stood in front of her with her arms folded and a stern face. Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her and she knew she was in big trouble.
"What did I tell you about leaving the monastery?"
"I didn't leave, I wanted to catch a squirrel" Her lies weren't good at least not enough to fool the lady who stood in her front blocking the sunlight which resulted in shadows being casted on her face
"But you still left, even after I had told you not to"
"I'm sorry" she bent her face and her shoulders slouched as she accepted the fact that she had lied to her aunt.
"Let's go"
Cyane began making her way back to the monastery, her shoulders were still slouched and her lips were pouted, she was unhappy with her aunt.
For a seven year old she was stubborn.
They got to the monastery and diverted their steps towards the east house. At the front steps, Rane instructed her to stay out as she went in and got a cloth and a bowl of water. She dipped the cloth in, bent down and began wiping the girl's fingers which had dirt on them.
"You never listen, you don't" her gaze met Cyane's who was feeling very sorry, sorry that she was caught, "When will you do as you are told?"
"It won't happen again, I promise" the corner of her lips tilted upwards
"That's what you said last time" Rane's reply was curt, "And the other time too when you snuck out of the prayer house. Should I keep listing all of them because it is way too long"
"You don't have to be so strict with her, she's but a child" a male voice spoke few meters away from her.
"Uncle Seden" Cyane loosened herself from Rane's grip and ran towards Seden who had apples in both arms. She wrapped her arms around him as she encased him in a hug which he returned.
"Cyane" she loosened her hold on him a and they stared at each other for a while, "I'm glad to see you"
"Me too" she looked at the apples in the little basket on his hands,"Are those for us?"
"Yes they are, he climbed up the steps with her in his hold; her hand enclosed in his.
"She's not eating any of those" Rane interrupted their exchange
"Why not?"
"Ask her yourself"
Seden turned and faced Cyane, her head which was at his stomach level had him staring down at her.
"I may or may not have left the monastery" she bit her inner lip
"Say it better"
"I left the monastery"
Seden shared a glance with Rane and she gave him a look which he understood, he wasn't to take it easy on her, "Don't leave again, you are going and you don't know what dangers are out there"
"I can take care of myself, I actually.."
"No, you can't" Rane interrupted her before she could finish with her fallacy, "You can't go out"
Cyane bent her face and entered the postulant, she was angry at her aunt and at Seden too.
Seden saw her expression when she left, his heart went out to her. She was young and had no idea that staying in the postulant was for her own protection.
"You should still take it easy on her, she has a lot to learn, she is young and needs guidance"
"Which I'm trying to give" Rane took the apples from him, "What about my brother?"
"Antonio would be here soon, he is with the kitchener and you know probably trying to eat more than he can take"
"Who's trying to eat more than he can take?" Antonio's brows furrowed as he tried to make out what his friend and sister were talking about.
"No one" Seden replied sharply, Antonio's gaze shifted to Rane and she too feigned ignorance.
"I came to see the little one"
His gaze darted round until he guessed that probably she had gone in and he began making his way in with the two of them.
Where is she?" Antonio inquired
"In her room" Rane gestured to the door
"Ok" he smiled and entered the room, the scent of yellow chrysanthemums hit him and he smiled, he sighted the flower placed in a pot close to the window. The sunlight radiating it's beauty as it stood with pride.
She had found it on the floor away from the garden and couldn't let it wither and die, she begged him to get her a flower pot from the garden which he did. He couldn't deny her request, she was a sweet little girl and when he told her the meaning of the flower she loved it more.
When he asked what made her like it, she had told him that she fell for its beauty the moment she saw it. It was love at first sight and it was the colour of the sun.
It became her favorite flower, she had wanted to get more but he wouldn't let her, the garden was prohibited from children and outsiders and she was a child.
"Cyane" He called
She replied with a hum
"What are you doing?" He tilted his neck to catch a glimpse of what she was doing and he saw her just playing with her fingers
"Nothing" her lips were pouted, she lay on the bed with her legs crossed as she faced the wall away from him.
He walked closer to where she was with a smile on his lips
"If you are doing nothing I would like to show you something"
Her eyes lit up, her little mind was curious. She wanted to know what he wanted to show her.
"We are going out?"
"Yes we are" she got up from the bed and hurried to his side.
Antonio bent down to her level, "Still unhappy?"
"Not anymore"
Their hands interlocked as they left the room and headed towards the exit
"Where are you going?" Rane stood up from where she was sitting
"I want to show her something"
"Inside?"
"No, outside"
"No" She shook her head
Cyane looked at Antonio, her eyes pleaded for him to try harder and he obliged, after all he really wanted to show her something.
"We won't be long"
"I don't want her to go that far" Rane got closer to them, Cyane went behind his back
"And why can't she leave?"
"Because I'm her guardian"
"And so am I and so is Seden"
Seden nodded.
"I still don't want her to leave brother and you know why"
"She would be safe with me, you know that too"
Rane's gaze darted between the two and she sighed as she turned her face away, "Alright" then she left.
"Could we go now?"
"We would after we help ourselves to some apples" he took two apples and Seden gave him an extra one which he thanked him for. The three of them left the postulant
"Oh by the way, I guess some people are coming, there's news that some people are coming"
"Which people?" Antonio was confused, he was just hearing about it. How could he have known about something like that when he was always in the monastery, hardly ever left except when it was necessary but Seden loved to go out.
"That I don't know about but they seem really important "
"You think it could be.." He gestured with his head towards Cyane and Sweden nodded.
They needed to be careful in case it was her Lord Algon.
"Don't worry, no harm would be done"
Seden scoffed, "It's not you that I'm worried about, it's her" he looked down at Cyane who was already watching him.
She had been trying to make sense of the conversation but couldn't, her Uncles were smart enough to not let her find out.
Antonio laughed and they parted ways as Seden went back into the monastery while he left towards the town.
They stopped at a shop to buy medicine, for a monk who was ill and the monastery had ran out of medicine, Antonio was sent to replace it and he decided to use that opportunity to take Cyane with him. The little girl had been craving to go out which he clearly understood. She wanted freedom just like every other child her age
As he bought the herbs, she pointed out some of their names, she had a little knowledge about herbs.
He had taught her when he tended to people's wounds.
Unlike her he was human which she already knew, they had told her about it but not who her parents were.
"Looks like you got a smart one here" the old man regarded Cyane and she smiled while Antonio nodded
"She has an interest in medicine" There was a feel of pride in the way he said it.
"She's too young for that, kids her age just want to play and cause troubles"
They laughed while Cyane bent her head, she was shy.
The man had no idea that she wasn't human unlike every other kid in the village.
"Well, she isn't like other kids" Antonio referred to her being a wolf.
"I can't argue with that, she's smart" he smiled at the girl and she returned it but shyly.
Once they were done purchasing the medicine, the man gave Cyane a little pouch. She was reluctant to accept it but Antonio gestured for her to take it which she did
"Thank you" she smiled as she looked inside it and her smile grew wider as she realized what it was; a wolf figurine
"I wish my granddaughter was interested in medicine too, she's about your age" the old man gestured to a little girl who sat at a corner playing with some other kids her age Cyane felt a little hurt seeing the children play, something which she had always wanted,"She's the one with a red band on her head"
Cyane's gaze followed the man's hand and she saw the little girl giggling as they played. She looked away, Antonio saw her expression and he felt pity for her. He also wished for her to be like other children but if they knew who she was she could lose her life.
She put her hand in his and they made their way out of the market and he led her to the place he had wanted to show her. She didn't say anything, he knew she still felt bad and didn't say a word.
"We are almost there"
Her grip was tighter on his hand, she was beaming with smiles
"What is it?"
"You'll see"
"Close your eyes, no peeking"
Her hands covered her eyes and they began walking slowly, his hands were on her shoulders to guide her as she walked in front of him when she thought he wasn't looking, she separated her fingers to peek through but he was caught her "I said no peeking"
"Sorry" she covered her eyes and didn't peek again till they got there
"You can open them now" she brought down her hands and slowly opened her eyes and what she saw had her grinning widely.
Yellow Chrysanthemums
She turned round and hugged him and he hugged back then she went into the field of her favorite flowers.
Antonio watched her and at that moment he wondered it would be like if she wasn't a noble, if she was just like any normal kid.
She was lost in her little world as she plucked the flowers and he smiled.
They walked slowly back to the monastery and Antonio opted for them to eat, they sat down at a little shade and were served food which they ate. Cyane ate more and he couldn't help but reprimand her for her eating skills
"You should eat less"
"No, I don't want to" she stuffed her mouth with food
"Why not?" He sipped some soup
"Because I don't want to"
"You are a child, you need to eat less"
"No Uncle, I need to eat more besides you eat so much too and no one tries to stop you"
"I don't" he hesitated and shook his head folding in his lips, He knew she was right. He had a huge appetite even bigger than hers,"You can eat as much as you want"
She laughed knowing she had hit a nerve, "Thank you"
He shook his head, she was smart and he liked that. They ate silently through out the rest of the meal.
The clanking of swords at a distance disrupted their walk. They stopped to look and Antonio pulled Cyane by his side. He saw the flag that stood on the ground proudly, the crests on the armors of the soldiers, he knew who was were. He had heard stories about them but never saw them.
They were not just any wolf, all Lords answered to them.
They were the Royals
"Who are they Uncle?"
He shut his eyes, Cyane had already picked up signals that they were foreigners; not their own.
He opened them up and looked down at her, their gazes interlocked.
Curiosity was written on her face, she was waiting for an answer
"They are people that you shouldn't go close to"
She nodded but shot her head back up again, "Why?"
"They are dangerous"
"Are they wolves?"
"Yes, they are bad ones, they are mean and try not to run into any of them"
"Why not?"
"Because you would regret it"
She nodded her head again, taking in everything that her uncle was saying.
Why were they bad?
Her little mind couldn't help but get lost as it tried to wrap around the reason why her Uncle would tell her to avoid them and it only sparked her curiosity
"Let's go" Antonio's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and he held her hand firmer as they made their way back to the monastery.
They had dinner together, at a round table. Seden and Antonio told stories about their adventures before Rane and Cyane came and their was laughter at the table
"There was this time that Antonio almost fell of the mountain, Seden spoke and the laughter stopped,"It was wet and Aiden had said that we shouldn't go that far but Antonio wouldn't listen probably because the apples in that tree were too pretty so he had to bring me along with him a and because I didn't want to see him kill himself I followed him"
Antonio scoffed, Seden cared about him which he knew but never openly said it, he knew that Seden was lying about not wanting to see him kill himself. He could remember that Seden didn't want him to have all the fun though he was scared that the Abbot would complain so as not to break the whole story he just sat there and watched Seden tell the story in his own version.
"When he got to the tree, the branch was unsteady, he saw that but still wouldn't come down, then he climbed on the branch and when he was about to climb the other one, the unsteady one broke and he almost fell on a stone but I caught him and we fell on the bare ground and the apples he had wanted to pluck fell on us.
Rane and Cyane broke into laughter while Antonio just smiled and faced the other way. Seden and told the truth at the end. His stubbornness was the reason that they got reported to the Abbot that day.
There was a long silence after the laughter before it got broken by Rane
"You need to get some sleep" she regarded Cyane
"But I don't, alright" she stood up from the table and left to her room, they all watched her till the door closed and once their head were turned back to each other Antonio broke the silence
"The Royals are here"
"Why?" Rane furrowed her brows
"That's what I don't know about"
"So they are the ones that are been expected?"
"Yes" Antonio's reply was brief and concise, "I don't know if Lord Algon is here"
"We need to be careful" Rane completed the sentence for him, "We gave to be cautious until they leave"
They all nodded
Cyane lay on her bed, the flickering light from the candle was the only source of light in her room and she stared at it like it was her biggest prize. She was lost in her own thoughts not able to make sense of what was going on?
She knew that the people that came were strangers and they looked different from everyone else.
Her Uncle had told her about humans and wolves and how they coexisted.
It was unfortunate that the humans were being ruled by the wolves and the wolves all answered to one Lord.
The one they called their King.
There was something about the way her Uncle spike about them like he detested and at the same time feared them.
As he thoughts led her on she closed her eyes and when she opened them it was morning.
She sat up on the bed and looked beside her the candle had died off only the wax remained.
She removed the blanket from her body and left the room. Her aunt had woken up earlier and was already making breakfast. She sat on the table and watched her cook.
Her mind was far away and to that tent where her Uncle had told her not to go to. She knew she would get in trouble for what she was about yo do but she was ready for whatever would come.
She ate breakfast and her aunt told her as usual not to leave the monastery and she nodded. It was all she could do for her aunt to believe her.
They stayed in the house together even after she had her bath, she felt bored and she decided to water her flower in her room then an idea came to her one that she would regret.
She had lied to her aunt after breakfast that she felt sleepy and Rane had told her to and rest which she happily went to do only to start watering her plant before the idea crossed her mind.
Dressed in a similar outfit of monks, she looked back one last time as she snuck out of the window. Her feet took her farther away from the house and she quietly snuck out of the monastery so as to avoid being seen by any of the monks
She didn't stop running even after the successful escape from the house, she knew her way back home. She was young but smarter than her kids her age.
She reached the place that had been on her mind since she saw it.
The temporary residence of the Royals, she looked in awe as guards paraded the residence to and fro with a stern face and some stood at the door of the house where she guessed that the people were in. The soldiers had their guard up as though they were waiting for an attack to happen even though they were in the human settlements.
No human would ever think of taking on a wolf at least none that she had heard of.
She got closer to the house, her subconscious was tugging at her mind telling her that what she was about to do would get her in trouble but she wasn't listening at leat not to it.
She crouched at a distance from the house and she could make out some figures, she was surprised that the guards hadn't found her out after all they were wolves with great hearing.
She bent closer and closer then she lost her balance in her crouched state and a guard was passing through the place she was in at the same time. She almost fell over before someone pulled her back and covered her mouth with their hand.
She was scared at the thought of almost being found out, she could only imagine what would be done to her. First she would be accused of being a spy then they would kill her.
They stayed in that position till the guard passed without making a sound so that his wolf hearing won't pick it up.
Once he was gone, the hand released her and she let out a breath that she had no idea that she was holding in.
She turned to look at her helper and found their face thrown the other side, away from her but she saw the hair, there was a red band on it. She knew who had helped her, it was the old man's granddaughter.
The girl turned and their gazes locked, that was the first time that they were seeing each other.
"What were you doing?" The girl inquired as they sat on the floor
"I just wanted to look"
"Did you have any idea what could have happened to you if they caught you?"
Cyane shook her head
"They would kill you and put your head up in a spike and place it in the middle of that place" she pointed to a spot in the centre of the compound, "And then at night they would turn into those night creatures and eat you"
"You mean wolves"
"Whatever, they would still eat you"
They stood up slowly and backtracked out of the place.
"What's your name?"
"Cyane"
"Cyane" she repeated
"What about you?" Cyane turned to her
"Malina"
"Ok" Cyane looked forward and they continued walking
"I saw you yesterday" Cyane faced her again and she smirked,"when you came with that monk to buy medicine"
"Oh" Cyane made an o shape with her mouth, "He's my Uncle"
"Uncle?" She grinned, "But he's a monk"
"Yes, he is"
"So are you a monk"
"Kind of but I have to be old enough before I can fully decide to be one"
"So you are his sister's daughter"
"I am" She didn't want to tell the girl about her relationship with Rane
"Ok that's good, try not to get yourself into trouble, if you are looking to have fun you can come and play with us" Malina gestured to a group of children at a corner.
Cyane remembered seeing her with some children the time she came out with her Uncle.
"Ok, Thank you"
"You can join us now" she held Cyane's hand but Cyane drew her back, she was reluctant to go with her even though she liked the offer. Sneaking out of the monastery was one thing but getting dirty was another and she didn't want her aunt to get angrier with her.
"I'm sorry I can't"
"It's ok" Malina didn't bother pressuring her, "You can join us anytime"
"Thank you" Cyane smiled and Malina returned it.
Rane was alone in the house although she had no idea about it then Antonio came to see her, he had brought pomegranates this time with him. Rane and Cyane enjoyed eating them and he had decided to get it that day from the store.
"Where is Cyane?"
"She is asleep" Rane took the fruits from his hand, "I made some food in case you are hungry"
"That's ok, I'm full"
Rane nodded
"I would be right back" He went into her room and came out few seconds later then his eyes darted round the place before they rested on Rane, "Are you sure she's asleep"
"Yes I am, she went in a while ago to sleep"
"She's not in there" he gestured to the door
Rane was astonished, she left what she was doing and walked in only to be met with an empty room then she walked out fuming.
"Heavens help her if I find her"
"She isn't that far, she might he at the monastery or the garden"
"Well then let's find her" as they made their way to the door, there came a knock on it and Antonio stopped her pulling her behind him.
The only person that ever visited their residence aside Antonio was Seden and they had a knock which each of them knew.
Antonio and Seden knocked twice at a go but the knock that came was thrice at a go and it was enough to get their guard up. The postulant was away from the monastery and close to the gates that led out of it so they had to be cautious about who came in although they knew that no one came into the monastery like they did in another place. It was just for the monks.
Antonio pulled the door open go reveal a man whose face was bent and when he raised it to their eye level after he noticed it being opened for him, Rane was shocked to see who it was
"Charle"
"Rane"
"Do you know him?" Antonio side glanced her and he saw her head nod, "I do"
Cyane began making her way back to the monastery after she turned down the invite to play with the children and she had only gone far before she decided to look at her field of flowers, she walked to the place, the path was different from the market and she had gone a little distance before she heard a noise that came from a wall and her curiosity got the best of her she decided to check it out.
Rane pulled away from the hug and Antonio stood beside them surprised at what was going on, he had guessed the man to be the commander after she called his name.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him still not able to believe that he had found her, "How did you find me?"
"I tracked your scent"
She still tried to piece everything together, "I will tell you about it later but I'm here for the girl. The Lady wants to see her"
Cyane walked round the wall and came face to face with three children, they couldn't see her yet neither did they hear her as they were arguing amongst themselves.
They were much taller than her with the youngest being a year older.
He was dressed in white with white hair and was the odd one among them
"Who are you?"
The three children stopped and turned to look at her, shock evident in their expressions, "What?" They said in unison
"Who are you?" She repeated