Phoenix: The Rebirth

At Six

The stranger had left yet his presence was still felt like a cologne. They are still captivated in shock, trying to understand what had just happened.

"What did you just do?" Sara asked trying to get out of shock.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I did not know he would ask for such" He tried to touch her as he explained.

"Do not touch me!" She pushed him away in anger. "How dare you! How dare you give my child to a total stranger? How could you?" She roared angrily.

"Stop it! Stop it, okay? I never intended to. I did not know he would ask for such" He yelled back.

"You disgust me" She hissed as she walked away with her child. He was left in shock, Sara had never talked to him in that mind. Because of their child, she addressed him without any iota of remorse.

What now? Is this child going to separate them? Is this what the seer meant by she would shake them? He wondered as fear gripped his heart.

"I am not going to let that happen" He shook his head and walked up to Sara.

"Sara" He called out to her.

"I'm sorry Jeremy, I don't know what came over me, I can't explain why I acted that way, please forgive me" She pleaded with their daughter in her hand.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to. I promise to protect her from every force possible." He assured his wife and kissed the baby.

" Do you think we should continue with the journey?" She asked.

"Of course, this place isn't safe, besides, you and the child need proper care" He smiled at her, and up they went, they mounted their horses and continued their journey.

They however stopped at intervals whenever the baby cried. After a few hours, they finally arrived at their destination, Salatia.

******************************************

Days rolled into weeks, weeks swiveled into months and months whirled into years.

"Just like a dream, it's six years already. Davina is six today" Sara smiled as she glanced outside through the window and saw her daughter training with a wooden sword with her best friend, James. James has been Davina's best friend since when they moved into that neighborhood making their friendship six years too.

"Of course" Jeremy wrapped his arms around Sara's waist.

"It feels like yesterday" She placed her hand on his, wrapped around her midsection.

"Ahhhh!" Davina screamed as she fell to the floor.

"I won" James declared happily.

"No, you didn't" Davina stood up precipitously. They continued to fight. A few minutes into the second round and James was on the floor. Before he could gather himself, she shoved his sword aside and positioned her rapier on his neck.

"I won" She declared with a victorious smile and returned her sword.

"You cheated" He yelled angrily

"How? What did I do?" She asked as she wondered where the accusations were coming from.

"You defeated me. You don't have such strength" He roared angrily

"But I want to be a warrior!" She yelled back.

"I don't know how you did it. You are not supposed to be able to defeat me"

" Why?" She asked furiously.

"Cause I am a boy and you are a girl. You don't have the strength to be a warrior cause you are a girl. Boys are greater and stronger than girls" He zoomed off in anger.

She sighed and threw off her sword as she walked in sluggishly.

"Happy Birthday to you, darling" Her mom held out a cake to her.

"Thank you, mother. You are the best" She gifted her mother a hug.

"How about me?"

"I love you so much too father. You are the best" She ran to give her father a hug who in turn carried her up. She giggled with excitement.

"What do you want for your birthday gift?" Her father placed her on his lap.

"I want to learn sword fighting"

"You are learning that with James, aren't you?"

"I can defeat James now, it is no longer challenging for me" She shrugged.

"What?? You can defeat James now?" He asked with a bit of surprise expressed in his words.

"Yes," She nodded her head affirmatively.

"That's beautiful" He commended.

"I need to make lunch" Sara excused herself, leaving the duo of father and daughter. The dearest people to her soul.

"Father?"

"Yes, my princess"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, you can"

"Are boys better than girls? Are they greater than girls?"

"Of course not. Who told you that?" He questioned.

"Well, when I defeated James, he accused me of cheating because a girl cannot defeat a boy" She explained.

"That's not true. They are both equal. A girl can defeat a boy. He is just jealous of you" He deciphered.

"Father, can a girl be a warrior?"

"Yes, she can" He already knew where the conversation was heading.

"Thank you father" She ran off to meet her mother in the kitchen.

"Mother, I want to enroll in a sword-fighting school" She announced her decision to her mother.

"Go tell your father" Sara looked undisturbed as she sliced some vegetables in the kitchen. She did not spare a glance at Davina. Davina ran back to her father.

"Father I want to join a sword-fighting school, I want to be a warrior so I can fight bad people and prove James wrong. He said I can't be a warrior".

"I trust you can" He assured her.

"Thank you, father. I'll protect you and mother too" She hugged him.

"Davina!" Sara called out.

"Yes mother" She ran to her mother.

"Get me some ointment from my room"

"Yes mother" She zoomed off.

"And be careful" Sara added.

"Here it is" She smiled handing over the ointment to her mother.

"You are injured too" Sara held out Davina's hand.

"I will be fine " She took back her hand with the fear of her mother yelling at her for playing too rough but on the contrary, Sara took the ointment and gently soothed Davina's injury with it without uttering a word.

"Come, let's go eat lunch" Sara announced. Davina stared at her mother surprised by her action. While they ate, Davina kept stealing glances at her mother who was busy stuffing her mouth with her food.

Sara noticed and stared at her daughter. Davina quickly broke the eye contact they shared.

"Why were you staring at me?" She asked

"Cause you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen" She smiled hoping her mother wouldn't find out.

"Me too" Her husband acknowledged.

Sara blushed at the words her husband and daughter uttered.

Davina kept stealing a glance at her mother, but this time, with caution. She did not want to breed any form of suspicion.

She was amazed at her mother's action. It was unlike her. The typical Sara would have yelled a ton at poor Davina for playing rough but this time, she was unusually quiet.

"Davina, help me with the dishes," Sara instructed.

"Yes mother" She stood up quickly and joined her mother.

"Mother, you seriously aren't going to yell at me?

" For what?"

"For playing rough"

"No"

"Why?" She questioned inquisitively.

She dropped the dishes and held her daughter's shoulder.

"Your dream is to be a warrior. You are bound to get injured but remember, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" She smiled.

"Thank you mother" She hugged her mother.

"You are welcome. Go feed the horses"

"Thank you, mother!" She screamed with excitement. If there was anything she loved aside from sword fighting, it was feeding the horses. She could even starve to leave quickly to feed the horses.

"What do you think about Davina?" Sara walked towards her husband.

"What about her?" Jeremy asked.

"Are you going to enroll her into a sword fighting school?" She folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes, why? Do you have a problem with that?"

"Well no but don't you think she is too small for this? Davina is growing and acting faster than her age. Don't you think she is a hundred years too early? Don't you think we need to take things slowly and carefully? One step at a time?"

Jeremy chuckled at the words of his wife.

"No, she is not. Remember, she is not like other kids. We have to train and groom her quickly just in case, it is time for her to do the tasks prepared for her.

" Okay" She managed to agree with fear gripping her heart.

"Ta-da!" Davina ran in again with excitement. She had successfully fed all the horses.

"Mother, can I ask you for a favor?" She bowed.

"What is it?"

" James is very angry with me for defeating him this afternoon while we were sword fighting. I would like to go to apologize to him"

"That is not necessary, why should you be sorry for being a winner?

" Please mother, for the sake of peace, let me go".

"If you insist then, you can go but don't stay too long else you would miss dinner"

"Yes mother" She ran off. On her way to James' house, she began to prepare her line of apology

"Hi James, I know I have hurt you..."

"No, this won't work" She cut off herself.

"I'm sorry James, I....."

"No, she cut herself off again

" James, would you like to sword fight with me?"

"Worse" She concluded and then she got to his house. She sighed and knocked gently. Luckily, it was James' mother that was at the door.

"Davina! How are you doing?"

"All good ma. Is James in?"

"Of course, he is in his room." She smiled.

"Thank you so much ma"

Knock knock.

She knocked on James' door which was half-open.

"Leave. I do not want to see you for many days"

"James, I need to talk to you"

"I said leave!"

"I am not leaving until I am done talking to you" She walked into his room.

"What do you want?" He questioned.

"If you think I came to apologize to you for winning, then you are wrong. I am not going to apologize to you for winning. I became stronger and I am not sorry for it. Goodbye," She walked out with a smile.

"Mom, I am home" She announced.

"Welcome darling" She smiled at Davina. Just then they heard a knock, Davina rushed to open the door only to find James at the door

"Can I come in?"

"Of course" she ushered him in.

"I'm sorry Davina, I came to apologize. I am sorry for acting up"

"It's okay" She patted his shoulder

"We are okay now?" His face brightened up.

"Sure" She hugged him.

"Goodnight" He sped off.

"Bye," She waved. Sara watched them from behind.

"I thought you went to apologize to him?" Sara questioned.

"No, I went to talk some sense into him" She explained her ordeal to her mother. Her mother shook her head in amazement. Davina was unbelievable.

"Go have your dinner so you can go to bed in time".

" Help! Save me! Save me! Let go of me" Davina screamed as she was forcefully held with a strong pair of hands.

"Please do not hurt me" She begged as the hand forcefully made her stand. She was blindfolded but she could tell it was a man.

"Not until I'm done with you" He roared angrily.

"Leave her alone!" A voice came which sounded like a roar. Upon hearing the voice, the hand left her alone and she deduced from the sound of his footsteps that he was heading towards the guy with the voice.

"What if I don't?"

" Then you will blame yourself for touching what is mine"

The fight began and she heard a tear. A tear of flesh. Her oppressor was on the floor, lifeless.

"Are you safe?" The voice asked.

"Yes, I am".

Before she could say another word, she woke up panting, it was just 3 am. She covered herself and closed her eyes forcefully as she fell back to sleep.

" Wakie wakie!" Sara softly shrugged Davina.

"Morning mother" She rubbed her eyes with the back of her palm.

"Morning my love" She kissed Davina on her head.

"Go brush your teeth"

"Mom, I had a dream, more like a nightmare".

" Hurry up and come for breakfast, you can tell me the dream later." Davina lazily went to the bathroom to wash her teeth.

"Mother, can I...."

"You don't talk while eating" Sara cut her off. Davina ate her meal quietly.

"Mother, can I....."

"I'm sorry, can you get me this ointment from the man outside?"

"Yes mother" She replied sadly.

It's been over an hour yet Davina was not back.

Sara and Jeremy shook with fear. They went to the destination where Davina was sent but were told that Davina had left a while ago. The fear intensified.

They searched for her but couldn't find her. Sara began to weep but for reasons unknown, she felt the urge to return home. At first, she nudged the urge aside but as the urge became stronger, she informed Jeremy and they both went back home.

Upon getting home, they were shocked to find Davina sitting comfortably on the chair.

"You! " Her mother made to move towards her but her father held her back.

"Where have you been?" Her father questioned.

"I would have been dead by now all thanks to the man in my dream".

" What? They both asked.

"On my way back, I was attacked by some guys but the man in my dream saved me"

"Who is the man in your dream?"

"The man I dreamt of. He saved me in my dream"

"What dream?" Her mother asked.

"Exactly what I was trying to tell you mother since I woke up" She took her time and explained her dream to her parents.

"You must be hallucinating, how can you see the man in your dream in reality? A man you don't know and have not seen before?"

"No, I am not. One thing I still can't decipher is he kept calling me his"

"His?" Her father questioned.

"Yes, he said I belong to him"

"Can you describe him?"

"Of course". She went on to describe him.

" What??" Her parents exclaimed staring at each other.