6: A Quest for Survival
1112 Words
~Asher~
She was getting weaker; I knew it. Even before Anne had said anything, I knew she wasn't getting better. We were only working around the poison, just anything to keep her alive. The only one I knew who could help her was the one person who had all the reasons in the world not to.
Aunty Claire.
She is my father's only surviving sibling, and he has stopped her from helping the love of her life. It eventually led to his death, but she had never forgiven the family after that. She was the most skilled in herbs, and Father had even said that she could bring one back from the dead.
"She is not going to agree, but she is the only one we know. I don't know if she will help us" Anne said to me.
"She will give me what I want" I said quietly, making up my mind that I was going to do whatever it took to get the herb from Aunt Claire.
"Asher, she does not even know us. Your father warned everyone that she was highly dangerous, as she had tried to destroy the entire kingdom." Anne said, But I was not going to be discouraged.
"Take care of her while I am gone. By tomorrow night, I will be back. The herb will be coming with me too." I said defiantly and picked up my coat.
"I wish you the best, my king," she said, knowing that nothing she would say would stop me from getting the herb that she needed to get well.
"Thank you" I said calmly and made my way out. It was not the first time that I had plied this road, but it was the first time I was doing it for a woman. It wasn't a small feat. Father had shown me the road that leads to his only sister's place, but we had never gone down it. Even when he was at the brink of death, he had refused to let us go because he felt that she had dishonored the family name by leaving when the kingdom needed her most.
I took the turn and went down the road, surprised to see how bright it was. I didn't know what I was expecting, but it had not been something so welcoming.
"Beware, she is the master of disguise. You must never trust her" my father's words reverberated in my ears. A house came into sight, a simple house that simply had the sign Beware of Dogs outside. I read the sign and shook my head before I proceeded to knock, but the door eased open just as I touched it.
"Isn't that a surprise?" I asked no one in particular as I walked in. The dogs ran towards me, savage and ready to tear me apart, but they all bowed their heads and scampered for safety after coming close enough to get a scent. The front door was open wide when I got there. She was family; I'm sure she was not expecting me to have shown up with my security men.
"You are a brave one. I'm sure you can smell the scent of your masculinity from a mile away." A woman's voice came from the top of the stairs directly in my view. She was a petite woman in her late 50s, but she looked excellent for her age.
"Are you my aunt Claire?" I asked her, my voice unshaken, as I had only seen pictures of her with my father from when they were younger.
"I am Claire. I do not have a family." She simply said it and walked down the stairs calmly.
She was definitely from my family; she had an aura around her. One that was strong and dominant. I knew immediately that she was not a woman to be trifled with.
"Then a stranger needs your help. I do not have a choice, so I have to come to you" I said as she appeared bare to me by the bright sunlight. She looked like a simple woman aside from her aura; I would not have guessed that she was anything spectacular.
"I will not help anyone who is from the bloodline of that traitor!" She yelled, but I didn't flinch.
"I am not my father. I require your help; my mate is dying, and I have only known her for one week" I said calmly and walked to her living room to sit.
"Asher, I will not help you..."
"Yet you somehow know my name even if I haven't said anything remotely close to that" I said and threw the documents on the table. "Just take a look at the poison and tell me what we have to do. Save her life" I explained, my face defiant.
"Why do you want her to live so badly? Even if she is your mate, how do you know she is worth saving, that she has something to live for?" She asked me, her little eyes narrowing at me. It felt like my father was looking at me all over again.
"She wants revenge. She requires it. A man hurt her and took everything from her. I promised her that I would give it all back" I said, and she took her seat opposite me, studying me carefully before she took the documents from the table.
She picked up her glasses and began to scan the documents, her eyes moving quickly through the pages. I watched her as she read, her lips moving slowly to the words. After a few minutes, she dropped the documents on the table and removed her glasses.
"She's going to die; I can't help." She said coldly and waited for me to leave.
"You don't have a choice. I am not going to give you one" I told her, and she squared at me, her eyes darting towards the door as if she was expecting someone.
"I don't have a choice? What makes you think such foolish things?" She asked me, a smile playing on her lips.
"Father told me your one wish was to have said goodbye. What if I told you that I could give you that?" I asked him, but she laughed.
"And how are you going to do that? Resurrect my mate from the dead?" She asked in mockery.
"No, I can take you to where he was buried. Father never burnt him; he would never have disrespected your love" I said, and her eyes immediately filled with tears. She cried for a while before she finally looked at me.
"Take me to her; we don't have a lot of time".
- Writer
