by A. D. Duling
“Anna, are you alright?!” he asked her, grabbing her by shoulders and turning her towards him. Relief washed over her face as she realized he was fine and Anna hugged him. His arms went around her and his cheek rested against her head. “Where did that come from?” He asked her softly.
Sobs came for her answer and Hayden pulled Anna closer into him. He held her trembling body, until she calmed, rubbing her back to comfort her. When Anna cried all that she could, she gently pushed him away and turned back to the Falcon. Hayden stood quiet and watched her. Anna leaned over and pulled the dagger out of the bird’s chest and wiped it off with the corner of her dress. She sheathed it and then tighten the sash belt of her dress that it hung from to keep it better in place.
“Are you alright, Anna?” Hayden asked her.
Anna nodded, but then shook her head.
“I thought you were dead.”
Hayden’s arms came around her gain and he pulled Anna close to him. “Anna…I’m not going anywhere,” He assured her.
The last bit of the adrenaline finally wore off and the sobs took over again. Hayden held Anna close and rubbed her back, to comfort her.
Chapter Twelve
Hayden guided the horse along and searched for a secluded area to make camp for the night. Just beyond, he spotted a grove of trees and directed Thunder towards it. When they reached it, Hayden climbed down and guided the horse closer to the tree and tied the reins to a tree branch. Anna slid down from the saddle as Hayden untied the blanket from it and he handed it to her. Anna went over the tree next to them and laid out their bed for the night. She sat down and leaned back against the tree. Anna’s body ached from today’s experience and she wished for Motrin.
Hayden pulled the water jug and satchel of food out of his saddle bag and took them over to her. He handed them to Anna and returned to his saddlebag. There he pulled out a few apples and fed them to Thunder. The horse took the sweet red apples from his hand like a child taking candy and ate all three within a minute. Hayden walked back over to Anna and sat down. Anna handed him the satchel. Hayden untied the satchel and pulled out a few slices of bread and some jerky for their dinner. Anna pulled the cork out of the jugs top and took a big swig of the cool water from it. She then handed it to him.
“Wait until we get to my home. The food is definitely better than this!” Hayden assured her and handed her a share of the food.
Anna nodded and took a bite of the bread, it was stale, but she didn’t complain. She looked forward to that promised home cooked meal. Hayden threw a couple of pieces over to Thunder and the horse ate them. The horse didn’t seem to mind their staleness. The jerky was an improvement, but not a vast one. It also wasn’t flavored like at home. There was no teriyaki flavoring to it, it tasted a little salty, but Anna was so hungry she ate the whole piece.
A light breeze mussed at her hair, blowing a strand of it into her face and Anna reached up and brushed it away. She caught Hayden looking at her.
“Anna, what made you go after that Falcon like that?” he asked her. He stood up with the jug in his hand and went over to Thunder. He pulled a bowl from his saddle bag and poured some of the water into it for the horse to drink. The horse quickly lapped it all up and Hayden refilled it.
“I don’t know,” Anna finally answered him, “I guess when it came back and I didn’t see you, I thought you were dead…” She broke off and looked down to her lap.
“And …” he nudged her.
“And I wanted to kill it!” Anna confessed and looked back up at him. “The funny thing was I wasn’t even afraid of it! I don’t even know why I did that?”
Hayden put the bowl away and returned to the blanket. He sat down next to her, closer this time and saw the hint of tears in her eyes.
“No one really knows their true potential Anna, until it is challenged,” He soothed her, “What you did today, was just a glimpse of what you are capable of.” Conviction was in his voice.
Anna knew he believed strongly in his words and what he thought about her. Anna wasn’t so sure her conviction was just as strong.
“I only came here because of my grandmother’s journals Hayden…I only wanted to ask a few questions and get a few answers. I don’t know why this Chancellor wants to kill me and I’m not here to test my potential! I don’t even know why I did what I did!” she babbled.
Hayden’s eyes searched hers. “Why do you think you did it Anna?” he asked her.
Anna wiped at her falling tears. “I guess maybe because I couldn’t bear to think that you had died all because of me,” She confessed to him.
Hayden reached up and rubbed her cheek. “Anna, you don’t know it yet, but you are very important to Tatania. I know my saying this only confuses you more, but you will get your answers and very soon. I chose to be your protector and knew the risks. If I die for you, it’s a sacrifice worth making to me,” He said, “But… it’s going to take a whole lot more than a giant bird to do that!” Hayden teased, lightening the mood.
Anna laughed with him. Hayden leaned into her and gently kissed her on the lips. Anna smiled and blinked at him. “Why’d you do that?” she asked him.
He gave her a sheepish grin. “I don’t know… you just looked like you needed one.”
Anna punched his arm and went back to her meal. Hayden slept close to Anna that night and even after she had long fallen asleep; he remained awake, watching her. Hayden knew what he had volunteered for, he already predicted the risk, but what he had not predicted was falling in love, especially with this girl. She was a complete stranger to him, yet somehow Hayden felt connected to her. There was so much to learn about her and he wanted to learn it all. Anna had a lot more strength and courage than anyone believed. It had been foreseen long ago of her coming and it was said she would be young and in need of training. The moment Anna entered their world, her presence was known. The Empress had sent word to his father and Hayden set out not an hour later. As to who was the originator of the message, when asked, even the Empress didn’t know. A note on parchment was found sitting on her desk waiting for her and when she opened it, three words were all that had been written.
She is here.
When the hatch had lifted and a young girl peered up at him, Hayden doubted the prophecy for the first time. She did look young and looked so frail. Anna was a tiny thing and so light. But today, what she had demonstrated, the doubt that had been there, no longer thrived in his beliefs. Hayden believed now, he knew it, felt it; Anna was the chosen one. She would be the one to save them.
Hayden thought about her little book and wondered if it really held the answers to all of her questions. They needed a key to open it and not a clue where to find it. Anna knew of only one and it had not fit. So what then? One thing Hayden knew for sure, was Anna was right; she was meant to discover that place and she was supposed to get that book.
A lot of people in Tatania had questions and if her book could give the answers, then they needed to figure out where that key was.
Chapter Thirteen
The chirping of birds from above woke Hayden and he rolled over to his side. Anna lay still asleep next to him and looked angelic doing so. Her lips were formed into a pout, with the bottom lip slightly protruded further out than the top. Wisps of her hair were pasted all along her forehead and cheeks having slipped out from the thick braid that lay above her head during the night. Hayden was tempted to give it a playful tug, but decided to play nice and let Anna be in her peaceful slumber for a little while longer.
He stood up, stretched his stiff muscles and sucked in a lung full of the cool morning air. A soft neigh came from behind him and Hayden turned around. His four legged friend gave another soft neigh, now having his attention and Hayden chuckled at him. He walked over to Thunder and patted his head. “Good morning my friend, I’m guessing you’re hungry?”
The horse gave another neigh in response and Hayden went to the saddle bag to fetch his meal. Inside the satchel he pulled out the fruitcake his m
other had packed for him and broke a piece off from it and offered it to the animal. The horse took it graciously and downed it in one gulp. His snout came to Hayden’s hand and nudged for more.
Hayden chuckled and broke him off another piece of the fruitcake. “Alright, but this is it, we need to share with Anna.” The horse ate it and nudged for more, seeming not so concerned for the two legged friend and her share of the cake. Hayden grinned and hid the fruit cake behind his back, away from the seeking horse.
“How about an apple…” He suggested and retrieved one from the saddle bag. The horse happily took the fruit with the same enthusiasm as with the fruitcake and Hayden left him munching on it to wake Anna. He squatted down and gently shook her on the shoulder. Anna moaned and her hand shoved his away.
“Anna, wake up!” Hayden said loudly.
Anna rolled over and ignored him. Hayden laughed and gave a hard smack on her rear. Anna jerked up to a sit and gave him a cold, nasty look. Hayden laughed. “Hey, you wouldn’t wake up.” He defended himself.
She scowled back, but allowed him to help her up. Hayden laughed again. “Did you sleep well?” He asked her.
Anna stretched her arms out and nodded. “I did, but I also had this very strange dream…” She broke off into a yawn.
“And what was it about?” He asked her as she reached down for the blanket.
“It’s hard to explain…” She said as she folded the blanket, “It was mostly random images.”
“Well was I one of those images?” he asked her.
Anna grinned. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she teased him and handed the blanket over. Hayden grinned and took it. “You Tatanian men, you’re just like the ones at home,” Anna teased him again.
“And how is that?”
“You’re all hopeless perverts!”
Hayden furrowed his brows and looked at her confused. “What’s a pervert?” he asked her.
Anna laughed, thinking him toying with her, but then realized he wasn’t. “You are joking with me, right?” she asked him, hoping so. Hayden shook his head. Anna stood for a moment, unsure on how to answer and he laughed at her.
“So, what does it mean Anna?”
Anna’s mouth dropped and she blinked, a rose color came to her cheeks. “Well…” she started.
“It doesn’t mean something bad does it?” He asked her.
She shrugged. “Well, not entirely. It just means… well it means … a pervert is someone who thinks inappropriate thoughts about someone else,” She finally answered him; all in one breath.
“Oh,” He responded and walked over to her, “So if I am a pervert, does this mean I can ask you what I was doing in your dream then?” he asked her grinning.
Anna slapped his arm and laughed. “There was no you!” she spat out, embarrassed. The rose color in her cheeks grew bright cherry red as he devilishly grinned back at her.
Anna ate her spared piece of fruitcake next to Hayden under the same tree they had slept underneath. The two shades of lime colored leaves gave shade from the rising sun that already heated the land beneath it. Anna figured summer was the season, two seasons ahead of the fall she had just left from.
Hayden finished chewing his bite of the fruit cake and looked over at her. “Anna, I did a lot of thinking about your book last night and thought about what that man said about you having a key. Are you sure you only have the one?” he asked her.
Anna nodded. “The only personals I have, is the key, this dagger and my grandmother’s jewelry.” She told him and then suddenly perked up. “Wait! Hayden maybe the key is one of the pieces of jewelry!” she exclaimed and unclasped the necklace from around her neck. Anna handed it to him and then reached up her sleeve for the bracelet safely tucked inside to keep from losing it. Anna slid it off and they both started examining their pieces. It didn’t take long before Hayden discovered a keyhole at the bottom of pendant. He showed it to her.
“How could I have missed that?” Anna wanted to kick herself. She looked back to the bracelet in her hand and gave it another closer examination.
“Sometimes things even right under our noses can get overlooked,” said Hayden.
“I don’t see anything on the bracelet.” Anna told him.
“This keyhole looks large, why don’t we try your grandmother’s key on it,” He suggested to her.
Anna nodded and pulled the key out. Hayden handed her the necklace and she took it from him.
“Well, let’s hope it works!”
Anna inserted the key into the lock and it slid in perfectly. When she gave it a turn, the key complied and the top of the pendant popped open in response. Inside was a tiny metal loop. Anna pinched it between two fingers and pulled it out. As soon as she did, she found it to be another key.
Chapter Fourteen
Excited, Anna grabbed her book and inserted the tiny key into its lock. It fit! She turned it and the tiny lock clicked open. Anna slid the lock of the loop and flipped open the little metal latch to it. Inside, Anna found its first page blank. The next page she turned to was also blank. Anna flipped through to the very last page and found every single page void of words. Nothing was written or even typed upon them.
“Why does everything here have to be so difficult!” she complained and threw the book down into the grass.
Hayden picked it up and took a look for himself. “Maybe there’s magic behind this, maybe you need a password,” He suggested to her.
“But the man never said anything about a password. All he spoke of was a key!” she complained, getting more frustrated.
Hayden handed her the book and stood up. “We’ll then; we’ll just have to wait until we get to Tatania to figure this out.” He told her, “I’m sure the Empress can help us solve this,” He assured her.
“You have an Empress?” Anna asked him, perking up. Her mood made a swift turn around.
Hayden laughed. “There are a lot of things you still don’t know about Tatania Anna, but soon you will find out just how amazing this world really is!” He promised her, “But for now however, we do need to get moving again.”
Anna stood up as Hayden walked over to Thunder and unhitched him from the tree branch. He climbed up into the saddle and offered his hand down to her. Anna took it and gave a strong effort to climb up into the saddle behind him. Chuckling, Hayden’s strong hand came up under her bottom gave assistance. “Don’t worry; you’ll be a pro in no time,” He assured her, laughing harder.
Anna squeezed his waist in complaint. She liked holding on to him, especially since she secretly discovered his belly wasn’t quite as firm as his chest. Not a severe flaw, but a flaw she happily took. It seemed Hayden might have a weakness for goodies and just knowing about it, made things seem more balanced for Anna. Anna never felt herself perfect and from the start Hayden had seemed perfect in every way. With this small discovery, this tiny flaw; Anna felt better about her own ones. Curves had never been a Kippling attribute. Small hips and chest ran on her mother’s side and Anna looked every bit like her mother.
“If we ride straight through the day, we’ll make it there by this evening,” said Hayden, breaking her thoughts.
Anna nodded and leaned against him. A click of his tongue and a light nudge sent Thunder galloping off across the field towards their destination. Open green fields and sporadic trees were the continued landscape for them. When evening slowly made its routine transition, just as Hayden predicted, the outer walls of the city were spotted ahead of them. Fields of what looked like wheat surrounded the front and near the rear, Anna spotted corn fields. She smiled and took comfort in that. Tatania seemed very similar to home. The walls that surrounded the real Tatania were a sight more amazing than the fake one. The stone of the protecting wall seemed like a type of granite. It glittered under the moonlight, looking exquisite as well as indestructible. The guards standing post every twenty feet along the top, was a reminder to others that even though these walls were beautiful, they were also had strength and gave protect
ion.
The beauty did not just stop at the walls; beautiful carvings were engraved inside the wood of its massive doors. As they neared the entrance, Anna admired the swirling borders that surrounded carved out animals from the land and sky of this world. Time and care had been put into creating these beautiful doors and Anna could only imagine the beauty that waited inside.
“Hello up there!” Hayden called up to the guard above them. He pulled Thunder to a stop.
“Hello down there!” The guard hollered back and waved down to him.
The heavy doors groaned their age and complaints, as they slowly opened for their returning citizen and new visitor. On the other side, a crowd had already formed; the announcement of their arrival it seemed had already been stated some time ago, probably as soon as the pair was sighted. Hayden guided Thunder down the center street of the city, presenting themselves to a long line of onlookers that stood on both sides of the cobblestone street. Many waved as they passed by and many, if not all, stared at Anna.
