CHAPTER TWO

ANALIA

A COMPANION is basically a servant to a demigod. On the pyramid, we mere humans with no magical talent are left as suitable candidates for the position. A companion risks their life for their master. They hunt, protect, and kill for their master but luckily a reward is due at the end of the journey. That is if they don't end up in the stomach of some monster or murdered by their fellow human.

That is exactly why I am not fit to be a companion. I would die in a matter of seconds. Not only am I terrible at cooking, but my archery skills are also the worst to ever exist. I am simply a human with no talents to show except my knowledge of medicinal herbs. A knowledge I acquired from my mother.

"I wouldn't last for five minutes in Asha's land." I point out to Gina whose smile wipes off immediately. She breathes out a sigh and mutters something under her breath before she eyes me in annoyance.

"You have to give it a try."

"I'm only speaking the truth. I would be gobbled up in seconds and grandmother also told me that Asha's land is quite different from the human realm. The seasons change in a matter of seconds . I also heard that most crops grown there are detrimental to mere humans like me-"

"Analia! Asha's land is the only place no one would be able to find you. Trust me when I say this, you will be completely safe." she sounds fed up now and I completely understand her, I'm fed up with myself too.

"What about the blazing fire? If I leave this town, my destiny-" She cuts me short by placing a finger in front of my lip.

"Keep thinking about that and you'll wind up staying in this town forever. Seers don't control your destiny Ana, you do. All we do is say the things we see or hear and most times the things we say are riddles that may never be understood. I understand that you're afraid but being a companion and winning is the best shot at getting your happiness back. You could get your entire family back."

My eyes widen at the realization of her words. She's right. I won't have to be lonely anymore. I won't have to count the days to a loveless marriage. I can set out on an adventure my grandmother once journeyed on. I can rewrite my destiny.

I'm about to jump at her and give her a hug but the sound of footsteps approaching the tent sends my heartbeat into a frenzy. I immediately unclasp the necklace hoping that the effects will wear off and no one will find me as a child, which would completely spoil my plans.

A rush of nausea hits me and once again my body feels both weightless and heavy all at once. The feeling is short-lived though and it takes me a moment to realize that I'm back to my normal size. Gina's expression also gives that away. Right on cue, Alicia walks into the tent with a tired-looking man holding a child in his arms.

I guess my time with Gina is over.

Alicia sends a look of annoyance my way as she settles on the ground across from the man. Her eyes are telling me that I'm a nuisance and that I have to leave. I give a slight nod and whisper a 'thank you' to her before focusing my attention on Gina one last time.

Leaving this town would mean leaving Gina behind.

As though reading my mind, she pulls me in for a hug and whispers into my ear. "Don't even think of changing your mind because of me. Wherever you are, I will be there too."

My heart swells up and I find myself smiling genuinely, " thank you, Gina." I tell her as I pull away from her. She gives me a small smile and winks before she leaves to settle beside Alicia.

I clutch the necklace in my palm and with one last look at Alicia and Gina, I leave the tent and head back home.

I live alone so, understandably, my cottage which is quite bigger than my grandmother's is empty. After my parents died, their things got shared amongst their relatives. Relatives who never for once came in to check up on me and how I was faring. They didn't waste any time claiming the things that belonged to my family. I had no one by my side so I couldn't raise my voice and fight against them.

The cottage was the only thing they saw fit to leave in my care and once I get married they'll come and claim it too. A sigh leaves my lips as I head into my bedroom in an attempt to pack up my things. The sooner I leave, the better.

My room is quite small but I love every inch of it. Grandmother had taken it upon herself to drop in something captivating every year. I had collections of bows and arrows even though I was a horrible Archer. The bows were displayed at the side of my room, each bearing a different color and carving. I had a soft bed made of wool lying in the middle of my little room with a blanket my mother made with her hands. The left side of my room had different medicinal mixtures my mother and I had made together.

I feel my heart sting as my eyes wash over memories in this room. No matter what, I have to get my family back. Without them, I am an empty shell.

I grab an empty sack from the pile of clothes situated on my bed and begin trashing my things into it. The sack is big enough to accommodate quite a full number of things so I pack as many things as possible. To enlist as a companion, I am required to have at least one survival skill. Thanks to my mother, I know a lot about herbs and although my archery skills are poor, I have no choice but to lie that I am but an expert. I also pack in all the medicinal mixtures in case of potential wounds, headaches, and any inconvenience I might experience on the way.

By the time I'm finished, darkness starts to set in. This is the perfect time to escape from here. Leaving after today would prove troublesome seeing as my marriage preparations are about to begin. I quickly strip off my dress and change into a pair of brown tight pants I used to wear as a child and a white tunic.

As I wait patiently for the town to quiet down, I take the time to fill my insides with soup. From what I've heard, the journey to the capital is quite a tedious one and I don't plan to make any stops along the way. Traveling as a child is already dangerous enough. I also write a quick letter to Bernard assuring him that I'm perfectly safe and haven't been kidnapped.

It seems as though hours have passed, I'm not sure but I can hardly hear voices roaming around the streets. I take it as my cue to leave as I grab hold of my sack and quietly leave my cottage. True to my thoughts, the streets are deserted and eerily quiet. As a child, my mother never allowed me out once the town got this quiet. As peaceful as my town seems, people still die strange deaths. The bodies are always found at dawn and thus people stopped roaming the streets after dark.

Fear settles deep in the pit of my stomach as I try to navigate my way through the darkness of the streets. The torches that normally light the path seem to be going dimmer, and I am unable to see far. I can hear voices coming from cottages around but they are barely audible. Luckily for me, I don't live too deep into town, I just have to follow a particular path and I'm out of the four walls of my town. With each step I take, my heart beats faster, I contemplate going back but when I turn back, the dim torches have finally died down. I have no choice but to continue moving forward.

After walking with my things for what seems like hours, I finally sight the route leading out of my town. My eye tears up as I realize how far I've come. I hasten my pace, brushing off the extreme weariness and pain I feel in my legs and muscles from carrying such a heavy sack.

I'm finally leaving this town, the town of Ansyer that has held me for twenty-one years. Due to my prophecy as a child, my parents never let me set foot past the huge wooden gates that separated Ansyer from the outside world but right now, I'm walking past it safe and sound. Mother would be so infuriated knowing that I chose to disobey her. I'm only doing this because I need my parent's back. I need grandmother back, I need them all back.

Outside the gate, there is nothing but darkness, I can only make out the main road travelers use seeing as it is close to the gate. I swallow hard and prepare to fish out my bow and arrow. If I'm attacked, I can count on using my arrow to stab my attacker. I quickly put on the necklace and once the effects of changing to a child wear off, I begin to ransack my bag in search of an arrow. The sound of incoming horses captures my attention and I quickly fish out my arrow and push myself closer to the gate and into the darkness. As the sound gets closer I sight a torch that lights the road. It appears to be a wagon loaded with things I can't decipher. The rider holds up the lamp as he rides and I decide to use this opportunity.

I run out into the road before he reaches the point where I stood watching. Thankfully the rider doesn't seem to be moving at full speed. On sighting me he comes to a halt and lowers his face to mine. I hold the arrow firmly behind me, ready to strike at any suspicious move he makes.

"What's a little girl like you doing out by this time of the night." He inquires in a baritone and grim voice.

It's too dark for me to make out his features but I can tell that he's quite hefty and strong. Stabbing someone of his stature will prove bothersome.

"I need help getting to the capital. Is that where you're headed?" I ask, hoping I sound polite enough.

"I deliver goods and not people child, go back to your family and head back out in the morning."

I purse my lips in dissatisfaction. "My family is dead. I need to get to the capital early so I can enlist as a companion." I inform him, giving him this sort of information isn't detrimental to me, so I don't mind sharing.

"A child as a companion?" he chortles at me and raises the lamp to his face. I nearly gasp in fear when I actually see the face of the man talking to me. His eyes are two distinct colors. Green and blue. A burn covers half his face starting from his forehead to his chin and right over his blue eyes. His skin is also ridiculously pale, almost lifeless and truly he is indeed burly.

I take a step of fear back and clutch my arrow tighter.

"Go back to your town little girl, the outside world is full of monsters like me." He sneers.

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