Chapter Nine

I wake up to Erika shaking me, I close my eyes and roll over wanting to go back to bed, but she doesn't stop. 

"What?" I snap in a whisper 

"You and Elliott need to leave now, before everyone wakes up." She whispers back. I look over to my left expecting to see Elliott sleeping but the cot is empty.

"Where's Elliott?" I ask her 

"He's getting the horses and packs together, you want to make this trip as quick as possible, everyone in Kalda seems on

edge, afterthe attack. Wondering if we going to be safe." I sit up and get out of bed, slipping on my shoes.  

We walk down the loft ladder one after the other trying to be as careful as possible not wanting to wake anyone up. We both walk out the door silently, I see Elliott making sure the horses are okay for the jurney again. I give Erika a hug goodbye, and she walks back inside.

"We can go tomorrow if you want to wait another day," Elliott breaks the silence coming over to me, he pulls me in a hug,  "I have to do this, to get it over with after, we can live our life." I mumble into the hug. We stay like that few a few seconds before he pulls away. 

"Everything is going to work out, I promise." 

Don't make promises you can't keep; I think to myself. I just nod and smile. He takes my hand and walks over to the horses.  "One isn't well enough to make the trip, so we are just taking one." Elliott explains when he sees my confused face. He mounts the horse first and I do second. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on tight.

"Ready?" He asks. 

"Ready as I'll ever be." With the okay he pulls the reigns and the horse takes off, leaving the familiar place I grew to call home, journeying to the place I used to call home.

The same thoughts that came before are coming again. By now Talbot has made it home, informing my family of my location and that I am infect alive. Maybe my father has sent out a party of men to retrieve me to take me home, maybe they just don't care anymore. Getting lost in thought I barley seem to notice that we out of Kalda and are in unfamiliar territory. "Elliott, the path is that way." I utter confused. "I know, I'm going around." He replies. 1 "Isn't this enemy territory?" I ask with worry. He come to a realization and turns around going back on the path. With my time in Kalda I've learned that this one path that connects all the villages in this area whether it be a merchant or Viking village it's the only place where you can't attack. It's the only place where you can travel safe. 

Walking around the sand with Elijah he tells me the in and out of Kilda, "Traveling across the Lake when you don't have a treaty, can be dangerous, it can result in a lot of death, if you see anyone or any boat going across make sure to tell my dad or an elder. It could be a threat." Elijah explains. 

"What's across there?" I ask pointing to the land on the other side of the water.

"That's the village of red wood. Our nuber one enemy's."  "Katerina!" a voice yells interrupting Elijah. We both turn our head to see Liam, one of the kids in this village.

"What can I do for you Liam?" I ask the young male around my age.

"My mother would like some of your help in the gardens." I nod my head and turn to Elijah

"We will continue this after." I run off to the direction of the garden leaving Elijah alone on the sandy shore.

I snap out of that memories as we hit a rough bump. I remember that as if it was yesterday it was before all the marriage and council drama, I was finally getting comfortable there. He was telling me all about the village and who and what I need to look out for. We neverdid finish that conversation as after that he kept his distance. I continue starring off into space thinking about my new life. 

      Laughing as I run away from Elliott he chases after me,

"Katerina get back here." He laughs catching up to me. 

I pick up my dress in my hands and continue running. "Catch me if you can!" I shout behind my shoulder.  

"I'm going to get you." He speeds up his running and catches up to me. He picks me up and spins me around.

"Elliott!" I laugh "put me down." after a few more seconds he does, he smiles at me and I smile back.

Slowly he starts to lean in his eyes flickering to my lips back up to my eyes. Slowly I lean in as well, closing my eyes our lips touch. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he does the same around my waist.

We don't break the kiss for a few seconds until I pull away, we stay silent for a few seconds before he breaks it

. "I'm falling in love with you Katerina Rose." 

That seems as if it happened forever ago, but it was only a few hours ago. I smile thinking about that moment again in my head. Everything was so happy so calm. As if all the problems disappeared. That short time I was in Kalda it felt different than all my years in Hillwood, it was as if I found a lace I belong, I place I can be me, not having to please my motheror father, or try to live up to my older siblings. I could just be myself, Katerina, not Katerina Benett the daughter of lead merchant. There was this one day where I lost all respect for my father,

Walking In the gardens with Alaric we pick flowers, carefully he picks a yellow one. "Kat, what's this one called?" The sweet fouryear-old boy asks

"That's a yellow rose," I reply to my younger brother, he continues to pick up flowers and asking what they are.

"what's this?" He asks holding up a white flower with a yellow center.

"Alaric, we went over this," I laugh softly "I don't know every flower, but that's a daisy." he just smiles and continues to pick flowers.

"Do we have enough?" He asks after a few more minutes of picking.

"That should be enough, do you have the knife?" I ask him. He nods and takes it out of his little pocket. We sit on our rock in the yard, and start to assemble to flower crowns, he takes one and starts to weave it. "Good job, you're learning so fast." I smile fondly at my younger brother.

"Katerina!" My father's voice booms out. Looking up I see him walking over to Alaric and I, warily I stand up and meet him half way. "Yes, father?" I ask shakily. 

"What are you doing?" he demands 

"Making flower crowns with Alaric." I tell him with a frown confused.

"Don't you get it! He's supposed to be learning archery with Talbot, how to fight, how to survive not doing girly things! Can't you get anything right? God, I can't wait till you're gone." He yells. 

"I'm sorry father," I reply looking down. 

"Look at me while I'm talking to you," He demands. 

Slowly I look up at him, and within seconds a stinging sensation goes throughout my cheek. My father has hit me.

Shuddering at the memory, Elliott ask "Are you okay?" with worry.

"Yeah just thinking." I reply. 

Come to think of it that was the last time I spent time with Alaric before he was sick. He was such a lively kid always smiling but when he was sick, he was constantly in pain. After that, Alaric felt it was his fault that I was hit, even though I tried to tell him so many times it wasn't. 

"Katerina, I feel bad." Alaric pouts. 

I level myself down to his height, "Alaric Bennett, it was not your fault."  

I don't think I miss anyone more than I miss him, he was the light in my life. He was such a goofy, caring four-year-old.

"Katerina," Elliott starts out. "do you want to stop and rest for a few minutes, eat some bread?"

"Yeah, let's stop by that big tree." I respond. 

He pulls the reigns to make the horse stop. I dismount the gorgeous white horse first then he does. Elliott takes out two rolls of bread and hands one to me.

"It shouldn't be much longer now, an hour or two at max." I nod and start to nibble on my bread. 

"Kat, please tell me what's wrong, I can tell something is bothering you." He places his hand on my shoulder looking at me with loving eyes.

"As I said before, I'm just thinking." I snap at him "I'm sorry

Elliott it's just I'm nervous to see my family after so long. What if they make me stay?"

"Do you want to?" he asks quietly 

"No," He looks at me "not at all, Kalda is my home now." He smiles and places a small kiss on my forehead.

We eat in silence after that, finishing up and getting back on the horse. "Ready for the final stretch?" he asks. 

"Yeah," I respond quietly going into my thoughts again.  Starring off at the water Niklaus sits next to me,

"Katerina, Elliott and Elijah are fighting again. It's scary." He places his head on my shoulder.

"About what this time?" I ask the young boy, he sighs. 

"About who gets to marry you." I look at him shocked and he continues. "Elijah likes you, so does Elliott. Elijah feels betrayed by him because he 'liked you first' as he put it. I don't see the big deal anyways, girls are gross." he makes a sour face and I laugh at his adorableness.

"You know Niklaus, you remind me a lot of my brother." I look down at the sand. "Alaric?" he asks I nod and continue. 

"Don't lose what you have, Niklaus, your kindness, caring, funny personality, don't change for anyone. 

"Not even a girl?" he asks. I shake my head. 

"No, not even a girl." I pull him into a hug. 

"Can we go play now?" He asks innocently. 

"Yes, we can go play now." We both stand up. "I'm going to get you." he runs away laughing as I chase after him. 

That day I found out how different my life was compared to Hillwood, two brothers fighting for me after not knowing me for a week. Niklaus is such a kind kid, I can tell he is going to grow up and do great things in the village, no matter how big or small he is going to make a change. 

"Katerina, my father says I need to wed soon." Erika tells me as we walk along the shore.

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask confused. 

"Not entirely, I want to marry for love, but it's to unite ours and another family." She sighs. 

"I'm so sorry, I wish I could help." and she leaves it at that. 

The horse comes to a stop. "We will walk from here." Elliott says. I nod and get off the horse, he does the same, and ties it to a tree. He takes my hand and we walk together up the path leading up to the village of Hillwood. 

"Are you ready?" He asks, I nod. We walk in silence for a few yards until something seems off, everything is quiet, no one is outside.

"Elliott, whets that?" I ask pointing to what looks like someone laying on the ground. I take off running towards it. To my shock I find Cedric, one of the village children laying there dead.  "Somethings wrong." Elliott states as he walks up to me.

"There are people laying on the ground dead all around." 

"My family!" I take off running to the direction of the hut I grew up in.

"Katerina, wait!" Elliott yells chasing after me. "What if the people who did this are still here." ignoring him I continue running, past the gardens past the farms. I push open the door and run through

. "Mother! Father! Talbot! Tatia!" I scream out, getting no response I run to the kitchen room where I see my mother, brother, and sister dead on the floor, blood all around them, swords sticking out of there bodies.

"Father!" I yell running around looking for him. I fall to my knees as I come across the sight of my father dead, laying on his bed, blood soaking up in the blankets. "Katerina!" Elliott finally reaches me and kneels next to me.

"No. No. This cant be happening." I cry out looking at the wall Elliott notices a note, attached to the wall with a knife,

"This is what happens when you break promises –C" He reads out, I cry out even more, my tears blurring my vison. 

"This is all my fault," I sob. "No Katerina, it's not." 

"I feel like it is." I wipe my eyes and stand up. No longer feeling sadness but anger.     

"Whoever did this is going to pay."