Between the Shadows

Happy Birthday

4

Damae

Through all the training, blood, and pain, today was the final day in Jalari before I leave for the trials. In 12 hours, I leave for my 3-day journey to Central Gallie.

“Dae! He asked Father! Father said yes! Oh my! I am getting married!” I look up from my dagger. She is standing in the dirty sand in perfectly black high heels and a poofy pink dress that falls at her shins.

“That is wonderful. Nal, I am so happy for you.” That is all I can get out. Marriage in this land happened quite quickly, too quick for my liking. I would need to know the person inside and out before I even thought of saying yes to a marriage proposal. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to worry about it, with the trials and all. This week I have been keeping my mind busy so I didn’t think about the trials, or about Thorsen. Somehow, through all of the running and stabbing things with swords, he was all I keep thinking about. I hit harder because I wished I could hit him for invading my mind. I ran faster so I can run away the feeling he left me with at the ball.

“You don’t seem happy? Why aren’t you happy for me?” She hangs her head staring down at the sand. I jump down from where I was sitting on an uneven post from the course.

“Nalmaire, I am happy. Truly. This means you get to have the happy ending you have always wanted. If he makes you happy, I am happy.” I pull her into a hug. This might be the last time I ever get to. “Sorry, I am filthy. I shouldn't be hugging such a beautiful masterpiece.” I laugh and place my hands on her arms. “Nal. I love you and you will be a beautiful bride.”

“Why are you acting like you won't see me go down the aisle?”

“Because there is a chance that I won't be Nalmaire. I leave tomorrow for the trials, and I could die there. I might make it, but if I don’t…” She backs away from me.

“You will make it. You will not die. You can’t die. I need you here. I need you to stand by me as I say I do to Gerin.” Her eyes start to fill with tears.

“Nal, I will do everything in my power to be here. But if I am not.”

“No,” She states, but I hold my hand up, and I cut her off.

“If I am not. I need you to walk your pretty ass down that aisle and get your happily ever after. Okay?” I say, pulling her into another hug. Nal hugs me like she is never going to hug me again. Finally realizing this may be the last time she gets to say she has a sister. The last time she will have someone who stands up for her like I do.

“Okay, no more tears. You are Princess Nalmaire of Jalari, and you're about to marry a Prince from the strongest Kingdom ever. Toughen up little princess.” We both laugh and walk out of the training grounds hand in hand. “I need to go and bathe and get stuff ready to leave. Come braid my hair for me?” I said as we part ways down the hall.

“Of course. I will be there soon. Don’t smell like death when I get there.” She shouts as she disappears around a corner. Instead of heading to my room, I walk out of the castle and to the fields where we used to play as children. I make my way up the grassy hill where a single large tree cover the crest of the hill with shade. I stand under the tree and close my eyes. A tear threatens to fall from the corner of my eye. This was the place we played as a family, where we laughed and had picnics. Leaving here is harder than I thought, but it is something I must do. Nalmaire will understand that I will never come back. She will have Gerin, he will be her protector now.

“Damae.” My father’s voice startles me out of my daydreaming.

“Yes, Father?” I place my hands behind my back, giving him my full attention. He doesn’t say anything, just looks at me. He takes a few steps towards me, then stops.

“Win. Please, I lost your mother. I know I have been hard on you, but it was to help you, so you would be strong.” His voice softens, “I can’t lose you, too.” His face didn't change; he is still stoic and proud. “So Damae of Jalari, you will not die.” He grabs my shoulder and pulls me into a hug. My eyes go wide, and my body stiffens. I don’t hug him back right away, but as I felt his chest rise and fall, I wrap my arms around him like I used to do as a little girl. Lying my head on his shoulder, tears fall from the corner of my eye. “You will make Jalari proud. I know it.” Then he is gone.

……………………………………..

Down at the stables, my horse is tacked up and my packs are strapped tight to the saddle. I rub my hand down the white steed’s neck. “Well, this is it. Time to head to Central Gellia to die.” I grab the reins and place my foot in the stirrups and swing my other leg over. I tap my heels into the horse's sides, which gives him the signal to start walking down the grey stone path away from the only home I have ever known. I leave the castle as the sun is just above the horizon. I couldn’t bear saying goodbye to Nal again. What we shared after the training grounds when she braided my hair, told me about her future and what she wishes for the wedding felt like enough. She is happy and that is how I want to leave her. And for my father, well. The hug was the last thing I will have from him, and that is how I want to remember him. As a loving father who couldn't bear to lose me. Not as he has been this past year, the ruthless trainer, or mean king who had no empathy for anyone.

Pulling back on the reins, forcing Luck to stop. Yes, I named him Luck, because that is what I need right now. I look back at the way I came; the Palace is getting the first light from the sun. The light grey stone and the dark red colored flags of our kingdom look like something from a magnificent painting. This is the best way to remember where I came from.

Forcing my horse back into a walk, I continue on my way to the trials, the way to my impending death.

“Happy Birthday to me.”

I feel like I have been on horseback forever, even though it has been less than a day. The sun has risen and fallen passed it’s peak. I have passed through many small villages, the people line the streets holding the flag of our kingdom, A dagger and shield prominently gold against the deep red of the flag. The villagers are cheering, hoping and praying that I can bring back the blessing.

I am not sure what blessing I am bringing back. If I win, I get to choose anything I want, as long as it is true to my heart. I just don’t know what I truly want. I could have anything, jewels, riches, for famine and sickness to never exist in our kingdom again. Should I wish for magic to reach this side of the land once again? That is probably what my father hopes I wish for. Our people used to have some of the strongest magic of them all. We had magic of the earth, fire, and water. We could grow flowers, food or forests if we just thought about it. There were sections that could start fires; they were mainly our front lines in wars, and the magic of water was used for farming and for healers in the wars.

The magic in our kingdom was lost 400 years ago when the Kingdom of Hudstith wanted the power of growth for themselves. They wished for our kingdom's magic, all of it. But they only got the power to grow flowers. Our magic, of every kind, was never to be seen again here. Once Deddai won the blessing 300 years ago they wished for magic of power, which they received, but they also got shadows. Their kingdom is dark, grass still grows, and water flows, but it's like some sort of light was snuffed out there. I am not sure what other kinds of magic they possess; they could have wished for more the past 200 years, but no one knows.

Cresting over a hill, the stone pathway is broken apart and slowly transitions into a dry dirt path. I am now entering the poorest part of Jalari. I have never been this far into the kingdom. The palace is located on the southern end of our kingdom. There are a few towns more south and some a bit north of us, but they are all grand, nothing like the little village I see before me. The buildings are all made of wood, broken and rotting in some places. Holes on rooftops and no lanterns line the streets. With the sun starting to set, I need to find a place to stay. Shifting in my saddle on Luck’s back, I take in a little more of my surroundings as he walks us through the dirt streets. The town is quiet, a little to quiet. No children are playing, no adults in sight.

Luck stops and his head snaps up ears at attention.

“What is it boy?” I look around, trying to see what made him stop. I hear something fall onto the ground, and Luck starts to back up. Holding the reins a bit tighter in one han,d I reach down and pat his neck. “Whoa, calm down.” A rat runs straight out of an alley on the main road. Luck gets even more antsy as he swings his neck back and forth. “It’s okay, boy. It is just a rat.” I lower my hands to the horn of the saddle and click my heels into his sides. He stops swaying, but he doesn’t move.

“Come Luck, let’s keep going and get out of this place.” I give him a little more pressure on his sides. Luck rears up so fast I barely see a figure jumping out of the alley at me. I grab onto Luck’s mane and kick his sides so hard, I feel a little bad, but he needs to run. His hooves hit the ground, and Luck begins to take off, but I am dragged out of the saddle. My back hits the dirt hard, and I heave, trying to catch my breath. Someone grabs my ankle and I am getting dragged. I start swinging my arms, scraping my nails into the dirt, looking for anything to grab. Looking up at my attacker, he is a dirty man, his cheeks are hollow, and his clothes are torn up. He has a knife in one of his hands that is around my ankle. I relax and stop fighting. I close my eyes, steady my breath, and lift my free leg and kick as hard as I can into the motherfucker’s face.

He lets go of me with a yell, he drops his knife as he reaches for his nose. “You little b***h!” He looks at me, I quickly scoot back using my feet to propel my movements. He advances towards me once again, and I jump to my feet and pull my dagger out of my thigh sheath. “So you think you can fight?” He smiles a big, rotten-tooth smile. I grimace.

“What do you want? Everything I have is on the horse that bolted. Thanks for that by the way.” I separate my feet, bend my knees, and bring my hands up ready to fight. I watch as he slowly approaches me, his hands shaking and his head twitching to the right, his nose still gushing blood. He is unsteady in his steps. I wait for him to make the first move. Just as I see his body shift to lunge, his foot is dragged out from under him. By shadows? He lets out an ear-piercing scream as he is dragged down the alleyway he came from.

I watch in shock, unable to move, fearing the shadows will drag me away too. The screams abruptly stop. I slowly back away from the alley, but the shadow is back. It slithers out from between the buildings and heads straight towards me. I turn and run as fast as I can away from the damn thing. I don’t get more than two steps before my arms are trapped against my body and am lifted into the air. I scream, I am next to die and I haven’t even made it to the trials, and it is my damn birthday. This is not how I die! I violently kick at the shadows, they don’t falter or loosen. They slowly carry me through the air and pin my back against a broken and rotting building.

A deep laugh flows through the abandoned town. “Now, now, Little Danger, there is no need for theatrics.” Thorsen Arics steps out of the darkness into the last light of the day. My body stills; he is more muscular than I remember. He is wearing a tight black shirt that shows off his biceps, his shoulders are broad, and I swear I can see his abs through his shirt as well. He tilts his head, closing the distance between us.

“Theatrics? Me? What about you with all of-” trying to wave my hands to reference the shadows he has me wrapped in “THIS!”

“You should be thanking me, I saved your life.” He is now standing directly in front of me. His eyes are level with my chest since I am still stuck against this building.

“I didn’t need your help, and I definitely didn’t want your help.” I clench my jaw.

“I sure you may think that, but what you didn’t know was 2 other men were waiting for when he got you into that dark alley. You have no idea what is out in this world, Danger. You stood no chance.” He reaches up and places a hand on my thigh. My body instantly heats at his touch.

“Will you stop calling me that and let me down?” His hand was slowly moving up towards my center. “Put. Me. Down.”

“No.”

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“I will let you down on one condition.”

Through gritted teeth, “and what would that be?”

“Spar me. If you win, I let you down, and we go find that sad creature you call a horse, then we go our separate ways to the trials.” Thorsen steps closer to me and grips my thigh. “If I win, you must ride with me the whole way to Central Gallie.”

“No way.”

“Then I guess we are in a stalemate.” He crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes keep wandering over my body.

“You have got to be kidding me. Why do you even want me to go with you?” I kicked against the wall, useless. I can’t move an inch in the wrap of smoke.

“That for me to know. You won’t get to find out till you fight me.” He smirks, “I won’t use my powers or any blades. Just you and me, hand to hand.”

I watch him closely; his body is relaxed, his eyes unfocused. Unfocused on the fight, but they are for sure focused on every inch of my body. A warm feeling crawls up my spine.

“Okay, fine. As long as you stop drooling at me.” I wink. Then I am face down on the ground. “What the f**k!” Before I can get to my feet his foot collides with my ribs. Air is gone from my lungs.

“Giving up already?” He bends over me. I am in the fetal position, holding my sides. I let him crouch down a little closer. “I thought you would be more of a-” I reach up my hands around his neck and use my body weight to roll him over my body and slam him to the ground. I quickly straddle him and put my elbow to his throat, tightening it with every breath he takes. “I like this position.” He smiles as he grips my hips and throws me over his head. My back is forcefully slammed into the ground. Not letting him get the advantage, I roll and get to my feet. My fists up, feet in a fighting stance. I roll my shoulders as I watch him casually walk over.

“Can we get this over with?” I egg him on. He needs to make the first move so I can see how he actually fights.

“Come on, Danger, make your move.” He holds his arms out and leaves himself wide open right in front of me. I swiftly kick out with my right foot, aiming for his ribs, but with how tall he is, my kick is heading right for his upper thigh. He catches my foot right before it connects with his body and he pulls my leg up. My left leg slips out from under me, and once again, I am flat on my back. Thorsen stands over my body and puts his foot against my neck.

“I should just kill you. Give you some mercy from a death at the Trials.” He laughs, a deep, villainous laugh. Trying to force his foot off my neck, I am pushing with all of my strength, and he's not budging. “That would be stupid of m,e though, since I just saved you. Killing you in the trials would be much more fun anyway.” He twists his foot that is on my neck and pushes a little harder. “Do you give up?”

I gasp, getting any air into my lungs, and I can. I nod as best as I can. There isn’t much I can do against him. My training was limited to wooden posts with straw and cloth to look like men. I never really fought against anyone.

“You’re going to have to say it, Danger.” He bends down, releasing some pressure on my throat.

“Fine. I. Give. Up.” I say through gritted teeth. He takes his foot off my neck. Rolling over and coughing, trying to breathe.

On my hands and knees, I take as deep breaths as I can. I look at my hands covered with dirt and sand, still calloused and bruised. I lift my fist and punch the ground. I can’t believe I let him under my skin again. I hear footsteps in the sand.

“Pathetic.” He scoffs and goes back down the alley he emerged from before. I slowly stand, the sun now almost fully set, and I stare at the way my horse ran off. I hang my head.

“Great, how the hell am I going to get to the trials on time?” I suck in a breath through my nose. The sound of horse hoofs echoes through the abandoned town. Throsen walks back out of the alley holding onto two sets of reins. A large black horse and, “Luck!” I slowly jog over and grab his reins from Throsen and rub Luck’s face.

“Luck? That is an unusual name.” He raises an eyebrow, walks to the left of his horse, grabs onto his horse's saddle, and mounts his horse.

“It is a perfectly suitable name for him.” I rub his neck as I gather his reins. I put my left foot into the stirrup and mount. “Plus, how did you find him? Why were you even in Jalari anyway?”

“You ask way too many questions.” He clicks his cheek, and his horse starts in a walk in the direction of Central Gallie.