Benevolence: My Sister

Mya squinted her eyes at the spot of sun that shun directly on her face through the trees. She brought up her hand to block it out but she was already awake. She sat up and looked around at this alien forest and remembered all that had happened to her yesterday. Her family had been captured or worse, killed. And here she was, sleeping safely under the protection of strangers. She knew she'd be a burden to them. She'd seen the way they fought. No one had to worry about anyone else because they all could take care of themselves. She couldn't do that. She wouldn't be useless.
"I'll find breakfast."
She crept over to Taya's bow and arrows to find them and Taya gone.
She looked around. Mya was not a tracker. She didn't have exceptionally good sight, smelling, or hearing.
"She shouldn't be that hard to find," she reasoned.

Sometime later everyone else got up to find Taya cooking and Mya gone.
Taya? Rye said cautiously looking around.
“Where’s the girl?” Garrett asked, mimicking Rye's tone.
Oh, god! You’re cooking the girl!
“Shut up, Rye. She was here when I got up and gone when I got back. She must’ve wondered off.”
Why would she do that? Night wondered.
“Because she’s an egg collecting commoner, that’s why.”
Taya smiled at Garrett.
Something could happen to her. She clearly doesn't understand how dangerous it is for her here.
“They know better. They won't come near her," Taya said looking around. "I’ll be back.”
She Strode out of camp and took an enormous leap into the nearest tree. She'd have a better chance of finding her from high up. She was tempted to let the Uldarian have its way with her but Night would probably never forgive her. After searching for a little while, she spotted her not too far ahead, sitting on a fallen log. She jumped down in front of her.
Mya jumped. “You gave me a scare.” She grabbed her chest. “Could you not do that?”
“Why would you wonder off? You don’t know anything about this forest. It-
“Sure I do. By my house, we had woods that I went into all the time.”
“Were they this forest you’re standing in at this very moment?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you’re wrong. Uldarian is filled with animals that will not hesitate to kill."
"But you-
"It's different for me."
Taya sighed as Mya sighed. She actually felt sorry for her.
"I can't take care of you if you do stupid things like this."
"Sorry."
"At least you were smart enough to stop moving."
"Thanks?"
"Let’s go, Princess. I made breakfast.”

“Keen?”
A soldier poked his head into Keen’s chamber door. He was still in bed.
“This had better be good.”
He put on his robes and secretly met his men in a room beneath the castle.
“Aiden.”
“Your brother is a traitor.”
The man before him stood matching Scien’s body in every way: height and muscle. His brown hair was cut very low, closest to the scalp. He wore the Faylaore colors of black and blue with a silver chain mail under his blue tunic. He had piercing blue eyes and a sharp handsome nose. He was an overall attractive young man but even the simplest of people could see that he harbored hate and darkness in his heart. But for now he had a bit of a smile on his face at catching the “perfect” Scien at fault.
“Words mean nothing. He’s always been a step ahead of you. You’ve never like Scien. If you lie to me about something so important, your punishment will be death.”
“He wasn’t ahead of me this time. I followed your instructions.”
“And?”
“And he came to find Taya. I was a little upset that they sparred first. He underhandedly caught her off guard. Then he became the weak little nothing I know him to be. She cut him down in four strikes and took him to her camp.”
“This is irrelevant.” Keen stood.
“Don’t you want to know how it ends?”
Keen hesitated then sat back down.
“There she passed out on the wings of an ezolin.”
“I know about Night.”
“Really? Well, did you know about the algen?”
“Algen? They choose now to vanquish their convenient neutrality rule? During my uprising?”
“The algen told the ezolin and Taya’s white wolf that Scien would never hurt her or turn away from her. Later, she and Scien took a walk. He apologized to her, kissed her and told her to take Mya and run.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“He said himself, ‘I never thought I’d betray my brother’. He’s not coming back, Keen.”
He sighed regretfully, “I knew there was a chance,” he breathed out, saddened. “Take fifty men and a messenger. I want those girls…and my brother.”
“Yes sir.”
“Alive, Aiden. And if you see Luke, kill him.”
Aiden smiled then departed.

“Why were you out looking for me when you’re recovering?”
“Taya doesn’t understand the concept of pain and rest. That’s why she merely forgot about the hole in her skin,” Garrett exclaimed.
Taya said raised an eyebrow.
I taught her how to work through pain.
“And you taught me well.”
“You sure learned a lot that year on your own.”
“Don’t feel bad, Garrett.”
Mya and Taya sat down to eat what had been put aside for them.
“We need a plan,” Taya said, mouth full.
Manners, Taya, Night disciplined.
She rolled her eyes and made of a show of chewing with her mouth shut.
“I’ve come up with something.”
Scien ambled from the distant tree he'd slept near.
“No one asked you, Scien,” Garrett said dragging out his name.
“Things may have changed since we lived there. He still understands how things work. Let’s hear him,” Taya rationalized.
Taya and Garrett exchanged glances.
“Luke will want to be included on this.” Taya mounted a currently wingless Night. “To Haria.”
Scien mounted his horse; Garrett had taken to the skies already. Rye had already gone.
“They’re fast,” Scien said.
"Did you expect anything less?"
"Well-
“You take Mya,” she said clicking her tongue, spurring Night forward.
They rode for about an hour until they finally came to a clearing. The dismounted and made their way to the large wooden gate with towers on each side that housed sentries.
"State your business!" one of them men shouted.
"I'm here to see my uncle. It's the only reason I ever come here. You know that."
He shot her a look. The gate began to creep open.
"They don't look like fans of yours," Scien noticed.
"Who is?"
Taya glanced back at Mya who simply looked tense.
Once inside, Taya guided them to a small pub that sat snuggled into the far right side of the small town called Jonah’s Spread. They handed their reins to the stable boy.
“Take care of him, Roman. He’ll tell me if you don’t.”
She handed him a silver rubayen. “There’s a gold one in it for you if I get a good report.”
“Thanks, Taya.”
Garrett landed in front of them.
They walked around to the front where the entrance was. Scien stopped and looked around. Everyone was watching them. They'd stopped what they were doing and followed them into the town, to the stables and they watched them still.
"Ignore them," Taya advised.
Taya opened the door and entered. Garrett stopped Scien from going in next, allowing Mya go then himself. He let the door close behind him. The room fell silent and everyone turned to look.
"What?!" Taya bellowed.
The pub was filled with men, mostly workers: carpenters, blacksmiths and soldiers, either on break or off work. The women who were there worked the floor.
A minstrel was present at the front of the room. His clear gray eyes followed Taya across the room to a back table where they settled in to wait for Luke to come. He never thought he'd have the opportunity to see with his own eyes, not an apparition, but the actual girl in the flesh. She was the thing of stories. He'd written a ballad just for her. He suddenly remembers the lute in his hand. He strums it and begins to croon a sultry tune:

There lives a girl who knows no fright
but yet it follows day and night
It seeks to cause her death and tears
She laughs at it
cast hollow jeers
It follows and follows seeking a soul
Saddened that hers it'll never hold
Soon it casts its eyes upon her clan
whose lives it holds in its hands
It felt their tears, their fears, their dread
but still it seeks the girl well-read
Seeking the day it'll touch her heart
to squeeze and squeeze and rip apart

Taya looks up and her eyes connect with that of the minstrel's. She narrows them and he jumps out of his skin.
The door flies open and a pair of brown eyes scan the room. When they land on Taya's, he smiles, revealing his pearly whites. His long brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail. The short sleeved black shirt he wears fit his broad chest and blends into his black breeches. Muddy brown boots divulge his constant travel between blacksmith, carpenter and man-at-arms. He’d been her father’s best friend and she’d grown up with him as her uncle. He was very fond of Taya and he watched over her in Faylaore. When she was banished, he retired to a small town near Uldarian where he’d still be close to her.
“Jonah! Ale for my niece,” he shouted to the bartender. “And her friends!”
He made his way through the close tables and chairs, his big body making a path that wasn't originally there.
“What’s the good word, Luke?” she said stepping into his outstretched arms.
“I should be asking you. You love the wilderness. What brings you, young warrior, to me?”
She lazily put her hand through her hair while taking the drink a woman offered her.
“Tell me, lass.”
She looked at Mya. He followed her eyes.
“The girl? Who is she? And why is she and Scien followin’ ya?” he asked, the country accent sticking to his tongue.
He could always read her eyes, to the point that it was eerie to all others.
“The girl resembles ya. Same color hair, a bit shorter, same nose. There’s a touch of your eyes in hers, no doubt. If I didn’t know any better I’d think-
“And you’d be right.”
“She’s Tabios’ daughter. Tell me everything.”
She explained the whole story, everything from Mya’s arrival to Scien and Keen.
“That’s some tale.”
“He wants her dead and I’m in his way. I have a war on my hands, Baba.”
“Give me a bit of time, little one,” he stopped. “I shouldn’t be callin’ ya that anymore.”
“Yes you should, Baba.”
After a brief yet warming visit with Luke, she began to feel crowded in the far pub at the small booth. She stood and stormed out, deciding to take a walk around the village, Mya close behind.
She breathed in sharply, loving the fresh smell of trees and cool air in her head. Soon, she stopped at an open booth. Tools hung vicariously throughout and the chimney was alive with hot coals. However, the blacksmith was nowhere to be found.
“Dex?”
“I know that voice,” came a reply from the back room.
“Why don’t you come see who it is?”
A goggle-faced man stuck his head into view. He stepped all the way out with a black apron covering his whole body. He looked to be in his late twenties and he was favorably muscled and tanned. He stood on strong nimble legs holding a hammer that made his arm muscles bulge. She liked the look of him. He smiled, the only white in the room aside from Taya’s.
“The sky gods have sent me an algen.”
He swiftly walked over to her. Placed his hand at the back of her neck and leaned in. Just as his lips touched hers, he noticed Mya.
Pulling back, he said, “Luke attached a chaperon to ya, aye?”
He walked back to his workbench.
“No. She’s my...charge.”
“You’re protecting her, aye? She’s very lucky. Hey," he called to Mya, "You know how lucky you are to be under the eye of this one?”
When she didn’t respond he looked at Taya then back at Mya.
“You were speaking to me?”
“I was.”
“Oh, yes. She’s very skilled beyond what I know.”
“In more ways than one," he said smiling at Taya. "I see you carry those swords on your back like that anyway. You have to be different. You taking care of’em?”
He held out his hand and she removed the weapons from their sleeves and handed them over.
“Not a scratch. But I’ll bet they’ve seen their share of blood and taken their share of lives.”
“That they have,” she said.
“Is she not sinister?” he asked Mya.
“That she is.”
“I didn’t get your name.”
“My name is Mya.”
“Dex. It’s nice to meet you, Mya.”
“Likewise.”
He handed her the swords.
“You do my swords honor.”
“My swords, your work.”
She slammed them back into their sleeves and turned to leave.
“You enjoying the stroll?” she asked Mya over her shoulder.
“Would you like me to go back to Jonah’s?”
“You’re fine.”
She cut in between two houses to get to a backyard.
“Lady G?”
She walked through the hung up, drying laundry and bumped into the older woman coming out of her house. Taya caught the basket of falling clothing.
“Oh, Lulu. Thank God. I have so many things to do let alone wash all over again.”
The woman looked up at Taya with dark brown eyes that did not hinder their brightness and added to the kindness in her face. Anyone can feel the warmth wafting off of her when she talked to you. Her stringy brown hair was pinned up in a loose bun, stray strains falling around her face. She was a stout woman who just barely came to Taya's shoulder. She had skin as pink as the dawn sky that revealed her every emotion.
“No problem.”
“I heard you were in town. She ran off looking for you. I’ve no idea where she is. I could get things done more quickly if-
“Way ahead of you. I’ll find her.”
“You’re a sweet, you know that?”
Taya looked around. “Try not to say that too loud, Lady.”
Lady Genna laughed out laugh.
"She's a shy one," Lady Genna remarked referring to Mya.
Taya looked at Mya still standing in the narrow path they'd taken between the houses.
"Something like that."
Lady Genna smiled at Mya cause her to bow slightly, in respect.
"I'll see you later, Lady."
"Alright."
She followed Mya back out to the main road.
“You do have a few fans. Just a few,” Mya said holding her index and thumb slightly apart.
Taya chuckled. “That's because only those few understand why I did what I did understand. Everyone else just judges and fears me. They should fear me.”
“Why did she call you Lulu?”
Taya laughed again. “In Haria, Luke is my father.”
They walked in silence for a moment.
"You've made me laugh twice in a few moments. That's a rarity outside my clan. Keep it up and I just might start to like you."
“Lulu!”
They looked up and saw a girl barreling toward them.
“Here we go.”
"Huh?" Mya said.
Taya stopped and made a cup with her hands. When the girl got close, she stepped into it and Taya launched her into the air.
“What’re you doing?” Mya shrieked.
“Relax.”
Taya darted into the air after her.
“Have you been practicing?”
“Yes.”
“Get your arms out to your sides, yours legs together behind you."
The girl did as she was instructed. Taya flew at her side as they sailed upward.
"Now you have to feel it.”
The girl looked toward the clouds, determination in her eyes.
"Come on. You got this."
Their speed began to decrease.
"Ignore it. You worry about going up."
“But I’m falling down.”
“Sometimes that helps.”
She flew at the girl’s side as their descent began to pick up speed.
"Lulu."
"Come on."
"Lulu!"
She caught the girl’s tunic before she hit the ground in front of Mya. She stood the girl upright and landed herself.
“You said you practiced, Violet.”
The little girl looked down, ashamed.
"I'm talking to you," Taya said.
The girl's head shot up and her violet eyes met Taya's green. Her dark hair was short, just brushing her shoulders. It shaped her face, the tone matching that of her mother's. She stood two heads shorter Taya and she dressed the same as her mentor.
She looked at Taya fiercely, “I’m not as good as you think. I get nervous when I get up there.”
“You're as good as I know you are. But I get it. We'll work harder.”
Violet breathed out heavily, her shoulders falling. “Who’s this?”
“Mya. Get used to her.”
Violet held out her hand, “Please.”
Taya handed her bow and arrow to Violet.
“You’re giving these dangerous weapons to a five year-old?”
“I’m eight.”
“I taught her. I’ll show you.”
Mya stood as far away as she could, not trusting Taya’s confidence in the young girl. Taya stood took twenty paces away from Violet then turned to face a tree. Violet stood with at the ready, also facing the tree.
Taya took out three daggers and threw them all at the tree. Violet shot them all down, drawing arrow after arrow without hesitation. Taya threw five more and they were all knocked off target, never touching the tree. She was preparing to throw another until she heard her name.
“Hey, Lulu?”
Taya turned to see a girl a bit older than herself standing in front of her. She had on a ragged brown tunic and leggings. Her short brown hair came to her ears, outlining her steely brown eyes and long feminine nose. Her size outmatched Taya’s, but Taya was used to her size being a disadvantage, or at least letting everyone else think it was an advantage for them. The girl’s mouth was in a straight line but the confidence in her face was evident. Taya had beaten her many times before, this would be no different.
“Get over here,” she ordered Mya.
She looked the girl over. “Domi. I see you’ve--well, I see nothing new about you.”
“I’ve been training.”
“And I haven’t? I train every day. You train with the village boys who can’t even beat me. If you really, I mean really want to beat me, go see my uncle. He’ll at least help you not embarrass yourself. Don’t you want to live? Don’t you like it? You’re the only person imprudent enough to challenge me; and with a sword of all things. It’s laughable. Come to me when you know how to handle that,” she teased pointing at Domi’s sword.
She was leaving when Domi started to bring her sword down on Taya’s shoulder. Taya grabbed the hilt of the sword over her right shoulder, pulled it up slightly and blocked the hit. Next she withdrew it completely and brought it up in an overhand cut, slicing Domi’s sword in two and playing her sword back in its sheath in one move.
“Now it’s useless. Along with no skill, you also have no honor. You need that to challenge anyone, especially me.”
She turned her back on Domi.
“Don’t show your back to me!”
Taya walked away, Mya nervously watching her back for another attack. She noticed how either Taya or Violet bothered to make sure Domi wouldn’t attack again.
They went back to Jonah’s Spread.
“I can’t-
“You’re with me,” Taya reminded Violet.
She started to go inside but she heard the familiar grunts of Garrett practicing. She went behind Jonah’s and there he was, thrusting and parrying, working on his footwork, and sweating profusely. Night and Rye sat on the side watching.
Long time no see, Rye said rudely.
Quiet, Rye. She didn’t forget about us, she just had to go see the child.
“Exactly.”
“You up for a practice round?” Garrett asked swinging his sword.
She quickly drew her right sword and knocked his weapon from his hand.
“Submit.”
“I wasn’t ready.”
Taya stepped a safe distance from where he stood slowly removing her swords and her tunic.
“Night, would you do the honor?”
The patchy ground began to fill with spectators coming to watch. Violet sat by Rye. She noticed Scien rested under a nearby tree and Domi trying to blend into the crowd. Mya stayed where she was.
“One sword,” Garrett remarked.
She narrowed her eyes at him as she was placing the two swords back on her back. She handed her left sword to Violet.
“Pay attention, girlie,” she taunted Mya.
Fight!
Their swords met each other with an awesome clash, repeatedly exchanging blow for blow. They didn’t waste time circling each other. Taya’s eyes darted in all directions, watching and examining his movements and counting his steps. Their swords collided, emitting sparks. They danced in a circle then the flat of Garrett’s sword landed on her backside. She smiled at him, sweat rolling down her face and arms. She kept up with his footing until she finally saw an opening that any average swordsman would never see. He protected his legs. He worried that she’d attacks his legs and he was right to. Taking out her opponent’s legs was a favorite of hers; maiming them. She swung full force at his legs causing him to jump. While suspended in the air, she ran her right shoulder into his chest, grabbing his legs and drove him into the ground. He fell on his back and she placed the tip of her blade at his neck.
“Submit.”
He thought about it. “Fine. I submit.”
She helped him up.
“You know me too well,” he said.
“Not to say you don’t know me well enough.”
“I’m going to clean up.”
“Alright.”
She stayed on the field practicing with some children until their parents came for them. Of all the different types of monsters the people in town suspected her to be, they knew she’d never harm a child. As she watched the last child off, Scien came forth and handed her a towel.
“I want to ask you something but I don’t want to be out of place.”
She looked at him expectantly, placing both swords back on her back.
“The blacksmith? Is he your new…are you seeing him?”
She smiled and looked down at her filthy hands.
“He was a comforter. I was quite broken when I came here with Luke. I was only sixteen. Luke knew to keep me near.”
“He’s a smart man. He spoke with me. He’s only interested in you well-being and he made sure that I was too.”
“That’s my Uncle Luke for ya.”
“You’re very skilled with a sword.”
“You should see me with them both.”
He leaned in and she placed her hands on his chest.
“I have to go get cleaned up.”
“Taya?”
She went back into Jonah’s, straight to the back and up the stairs where her permanent room awaited her. Once inside, she grabbed an extra set of clothing and left out again. She flew over the gates of Haria to the nearest lake.
She dove in as is, removing her clothes while swimming and throwing her weapons ashore. She found some lavender and snatched more than enough off the stems and patted, scratched, and scrubbed until she was surrounded in suds. She rubbed herself down with it and swam for a bit more than. Once she’d gotten her fill, she climbed out found more flowers to dry her off.
She shook her head, “I smell like flowers.”
She dressed then rolled around on the ground breathing contentedly. She put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. Not too long after, her eyes shot back open. She looked around and listened. She could feel thunder from the ground.
“What is this?”
She looked up and saw smoke rising from inside the gates of Haria.
“Fire.”
She took off running for the village. She reached the gate, jumping over it without stopping. When she got over, she felt overwhelmed immediately. There was fire bursting from roofs; horses running rampage; men fighting for the wives, their children. She saw a small child about to get trampled by a horse. She ran over and rolled the child up in her person, taking the blunt of the trauma. She handed the child off to the babbling mother then ran for Jonah’s, her eyes making a transition between hollow green to an angry, almost black color.
“Lulu!”
Violet ran over to her.
“What’re you doing out here?!”
“I can help,” she said holding up the bow and arrow she still had from earlier.
Taya looked at her intensely. “Go find a tree; climb it. Make sure you’re well hidden. Take out as many as you can. Don’t be a hero.”
She ran through the mayhem, drawing both swords and cutting down the enemy as she went. She looked past her latest victims crumbling corpse and say a soldier stalking toward Lady Genna.
“Lady Genna!”
She ran over to the threatening soldier and jammed her sword through him.
“Get to Jonah’s. Have you seen my uncle?”
She pointed then made her way to the spread. Taya ran over to him mentally smuggling what small fires she could.
“It’s spreading too fast,” she told herself. “Who are they?” she shouted to Luke.
“They wear a combination of colors but the ones they all have in common are Faylaore.”
“Keen sent them. We need rain.”
“I’ll cover you.”
She sat on the ground dreading that such a difficult technique was done by doing something that not only made her feel weak but that also drained her energy in the process. She sat on the muddy ground, legs crossed and folded hands in her lap. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the most painful emotional thing that's ever happened. It was her father's death but it didn't hold the same meaning to her anymore.
Nonetheless, it hurt her to find out that he'd actually done it; that he'd betrayed his king, her mother, and her own trust. She began to grit her teeth in anger just thinking about it. It all hurt. These were the feelings she never allowed to escape her; the feelings that she never allowed herself to feel. The noise around her began to fade and she felt her throat tightening, her face began to burn.
She leaned back, face toward the sky and her eyes shot open as thunder cracked in the sky. The water poured from her eyes, traveling down her cheeks and falling into the open palms in her lap. She felt water pelting her face. It had worked. It was raining and hard. She stood up gasping for air, trying to stop herself from crying now that it was raining. If she didn't stop crying the rain would get worse.
“It amazes me every time,” Luke shouted.
She felt woozy. “Have you seen Mya?”
“No.”
She heard someone scream just then. She ran to the back of Jonah’s to see Mya in the grasp of two soldiers. She only had one dagger on her. She gave in to her instincts and threw it at the soldier on the right. It almost missed him completely but it managed to dig into his shoulder. While the other was distracted by the unexpected attack, she relieved him of his head and finished off the wounded soldier.
“Find--no, come with me.”
"What's wrong with you?" Mya asked concerned.
Taya exhaled heavily. "Don't worry about me. Come on!"
They went back out front to see the soldiers dying down.
Her blurry eyes searched the mayhem for Luke. When she spotted him, a sword was violently rammed into his chest then two arrows.
Her eyes bulged as the last spots of green vanished.
She let out a fierce battle cry as she slew three men on her way to him. When she got to his killer, two arrows glided over her shoulder and into his neck. That wasn’t enough for him. Bringing her two swords apart, she swung them back together slicing the soldier in half. She stuck both of her weapons into the ground and leaned over Luke, blinded by tears. The rain began to pick up.
“Uncle Luke!” she cried. “No, Baba.”
"Win. Take care of her," he said to Taya looking at Mya.
"No," she moaned.
"You can do this without me."
"I can't."
"Yes...you..."
"Luke?" she said shaking him. "Luke!"
Look out!
Garrett dived on top of Mya.
Taya felt her body jerk then a sharp pain. She looked down at the two arrows that protruded from her chest.
“We’ll settle for the girl,” Aiden ridiculed holding an unconscious Violet. “Retreat!”
A now small army ran from the village, Aiden on horse.
Taya stood up, “Violet!”
Another arrow penetrated her back.
“Taya!”
She heaved as blood began to pour from her mouth.
"Violet," she managed before succumbing to her injuries.
Scien caught her as she fell forward, laying her on her side.