Avenging Death

We arrived by a river, after we left the village. We ate a meal of honey bread that I bought at the village. Tronzey had fell asleep under a tree. Kye and I had found a healing herb and made ointment for the burn on her face. None of us had rest or eaten after the fire started. It was nearly noon and we were only an hour from our destination. Kye and I sat by the river and threw rocks into the water, we decided to let Tronzey rest before we sent her to her new home.
“I’m going to miss her,” Kye look back at Tronzey and threw a pebble in the water.
“So am I,” I said. “About what you said during the bonfire. You were right. When I thought you had died made me realized that. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life full of remorse, and distant from people especially people I love. I want to enjoy it with you.”
He smiled. “I’m glad. When this war is over, you will heal.”
“I know I can. Because of you and Tronzey, I know that now. If you two can smile and laugh, and been through just as much as I, I can as well. I was holding myself from it because I was afraid of letting go of the pain. I thought I would forget my family. It was the fuel that fed the vengeance burning in my heart. It caused me to isolate myself from everyone because I didn’t want to be happy, I wanted the pain so I could hate and used that against my enemies. You knew that. So did Brail. That’s why you were able to get me to slightly open the prison I had created for myself.”
Kye stared at the river, deeply listening to me. I needed him to listen to this so he knew he didn’t fail all those years to get me to open up.
“No one could help me. Only I could set myself free. I was so consume with getting revenge that I forgot I should be protecting the people I love who are still alive. Instead you were trying to protect me from myself. Thank-you. Now, it’s my turn.
Kye gaze into my eyes. “It goes both ways. We protect one another because we care about one another and want to be part of one another’s life, no matter how corrupted this world is. It’s full of blood and death but also love and hope. No one can get through it by fighting and protecting love ones alone. Danj, I love you. I want not just to live with you but I want to marry you. We can always protect and be there for each other.”
I froze. My cheeks warmed up. I could hardly breathe. I just stared at him, stunned.
He just smiled. “What do you say?”
I finally smiled and nodded. “I can’t live my life without you.”
He gently stroke my cheek and leaned into me. Our lips met and I could taste the sweetness of the honey bread. We pressed closer together only to pull apart, hearing the galloping approach us.
We both notice who it was, when he stopped from across the river.
“Kashon?” I gasped. He and two other men appeared on their horses from behind a couple trees.
“Pleasure to see you Danj,” He smiled. “General Kan sent us to let you know we’ve found the gull clan. They’re three miles away from here. The units are contemplating an attack as we speak. Kye, Since this use to be your homeland, the general wants to speak to you about any land advantages we might have.”
“I’m on my way, “Kye stood up and smiled at me. ”I’ll see you at the unit.”
Before he could move, Tronzey jumped up and embraced him. I hadn’t realized she had awoken.
“Bye pretty flower.” He hugged her back and stroked her hair. He mounted his horse and waved as he left. “Take care.”
“Where are you located,” I asked Kashon.
“Follow the flow of the river, we will be on the other side you can’t miss us,” He said.
I nodded. They trotted off back through the trees.
Tronzey eyes teary, once again but she ddin’t cry. She rub the side of her face. It was turning into a scab, now.
“Does it hurt,’ I asked her.
She nodded her head.
I gathered the remaining ointment and gently placed it on the side of her face. We left shortly after. The breeze was delightful. It was cooler in this part of land. In the distance, the Neflexon kingdom stood on a hill. Houses dotted in the valley below it. From where we were, the castle look like a metal can. I had passed by it once before, a year ago, with the unit. We had been sent here to protect the kingdom from a ruthless clan who were trying to conquer it. The castle wasn’t very big or strong and needed constant help in protecting.
“There it is,” I pointed toward it so Tronzey could recognize it.
As we passed through the village, I realized that the people were wearing mostly rags. Many of them look like skeletons. Two men fought over a fish at the river. Many coughs echoed from the young and old. The kingdom had completely change. When I left everyone seemed to be well off. Had there been a famine or a plague of disease.
I slid off the horse and help Tronzey off the horse. I knocked on the bastion’s door of the small castle, and a woman opened the door. Tronzey clung to my shirt and hid behind me. She wore a fancy dress with many loose laces dangling down, and one of her breast escaped the hold of top part of her dress. Her hair was thrown upon her head like a rat’s nest.
I gesture to let her know that she was revealing a breast. She hastily stored it back under the dress.
“Can I help you,” she said.
“I was sent to escort a little girl,” I said, disgusted by the way she carried herself and her impoliteness.
“Oh yes, I’ll be right back,” she shut the door behind her.
A woman dressed in a similar dress as hers but her appearance was more decent.
“Where is she,” the woman look at me.
“Tronzey,” I called her.
She let go of my shirt and poke her head from behind me.
“There she is,” The woman smile. “Hi darling. Claudia told me she was sending me a beauty.”
As soon as she said that, I knew what this place was. It was a brothel. They usually took in young girls to do chores but as soon as they turn eleven or twelve they would sell off their bodies to all kinds of men.
“Where’s the baron?” I asked.
“Dear, you haven’t heard, he died from illness three months ago,” she said. “his brother took over the place for his own pleasures.”
“Come little one, let me get a closer look at you?” the woman gestured for the Tronzey to come closer.
Tronzey grabbed on to my waist. She felt the bad vibe I had about this woman and place. I knelt down to meet Tronzey. Her eyes were already to fill with tears.
“Hey pretty flower, I have to leave you here, I don’t want to but it’s my task,” I whispered in her ear. “I won’t let them keep you here. I’ll find a better home for you.”
She wrapped her hands around my neck and wept. “Danj, I don’t want you to go. I’m scared.”
It was the first time she had called me by my name. The tremble in her sweet voice pained me so much, warm moist started building in my eyes. The last thing I needed to do was cry and make her worry more.
“It’s okay, I brushed her tears away. You can be scared, it’s a new environment but you won’t be here long.”
She sniffled and hugged me, again. “Can I stay with you, I won’t cause any more trouble.”
I couldn’t help but release a few tears but I wiped them away before Tronzey could see.
I shook my head. “You’re not trouble, this world is.”
She sobbed into my shoulder and I let her. I gently pulled her away and kissed her on the forehead. She stared at me, heartbroken.
“I’ll be back,” I whispered in her ear.
As I mounted fuzz, it killed me to watch them take her inside and shut the door behind them.