Chapter One
Satu did not see the root until she tripped over it, the Tinselberries she had collected only moments before spilling across the ground like so many drops of blood. She landed hard, and the impact knocked the breath from her lungs.
Getting up and brushing damp soil from her hair, she began to gather the small red berries again, setting them in the basket still looped over her arm. Soon, a second pair of hands joined her own, tanned and calloused from working in the sun.
“Sorry, Esmie.” Satu muttered. She did not have to look up to know that it was her sister.
“It was an accident.” Esmeralia assured her. “We can wash them off.”
Satu scooped the last of them into the basket, careful not to squash them too much, and went to the stream behind the little cottage she and Esmeralia shared. She dipped the entire basket into the clear water, and let the stream rush over the berries.
Esmeralia lingered behind her, whether unsure if she should help or not, or merely there to make sure Satu did not cause any more damage, Satu did not know.
Satu had no memories of her mother, but always imagined her with Esmeralia’s brown hair that glinted golden in the sunlight, Esmeralia’s regal features. Esmeralia looked over and caught her stare, and Satu gave her a wide, slightly guilty smile. Although she herself looked much the same as her sister, Satu felt her mother would not have looked like her. Her face had a round, childlike innocence she had not quite grown out of yet. A fact that greatly annoyed her, though, of course, no one was around to see it.
Shaking off all thoughts of her appearance and her mother, Satu went inside, setting the Tinselberries on the counter before taking one and popping it into her mouth. The bitter-sweet taste burst on her tongue, making her eyes water with its intensity. After glancing around to make sure Esmeralia was not watching, she took another.
Satu awoke suddenly, sitting up in bed. She could hear her sister in the kitchen, rattling pans and sloshing liquid. Getting up, she dressed quickly, wrapping a shawl around herself and shivering in the cool morning as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Esmie." she said, watching her sister make breakfast.
"Morning. Get me some eggs, will you?"
Satu obliged, stepping out the door, which gave a loud creak, and into the dew covered garden.
As she was returning inside with several eggs cradled in the skirt of her dress, Satu thought she saw a flicker of movement, someone moving in the trees. But no, it must have been her imagination. No one except her and Esmeralia ever came here. She returned inside, feeling troubled, although she was not sure exactly why.
They were in the middle of eating the breakfast Esmeralia had made when there came three rapid knocks at the wooden door. Satu froze
and glanced at Esmeralia, seeing that her sister’s surprise mirrored her own.
No one had knocked on that door for over seven years.
When the sound came again, more insistently this time, Esmeralia stood and crossed the room. Satu followed her, lingering behind her sister as she opened the door. The boy standing behind it was perhaps sixteen or seventeen, older than the both of them, but not by much. He had messy brown hair he had quite obviously attempted to smooth down, albeit rather unsuccessfully, and a finely made red vest with shiny gold buttons. He pulled out an official looking scroll and cleared his throat, glancing at them nervously.
"Is this the residence of a. . ." he paused to peer down at the scroll in his hands. "Esmeralia and Satulinar Cosmina?"
"Um, yes, it is." Satu said, frowning at his use of her full name.
Esmeralia shot her a glance that clearly said, I'll do the talking, then looked back at the young man standing in the doorway and smiled politely, though Satu could sense her concern.
"Yes, I believe you have the right place. What can we do for you?"
"Uh. . . oh yes, er," he cleared his throat again, peering down at the scroll in his hands. "The Great and Honorable King Jinral, seventy first king of the Kingdom of Halshaf, has made a decree stating no citizen of this kingdom under the legal age of eighteen shall be permitted to own land, or live without the protection of a legal guardian."
When neither of them said anything, he blinked several times, then asked, "is it true that you have lived here for seven years, alone?"
"Yes." Esmeralia said, her voice measured, cautious. "However, I assure you, we are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."
"It is not a question of your capability, Miss Cosmina." the boy shuffled his feet, looking uncomfortable. "But the king is generously offering to let orphans work for him in the castle in Brysmar. He will provide lodging and food, and all that."
"We are not orphans." Satu said. "Our father is still alive. He is merely exiled."
"I am aware of that fact." The boy said. "However, he is unable to provide for you. Therefore, you are considered orphans in this. . . um, rather unfortunate circumstance. If you do not come with me, the king will be forced to send soldiers to come get you," he added, perhaps seeing their indecision. “It is not, er, exactly optional.”
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Satu watched her sister. Her expression stayed passive, but an intenseness in her gaze and a furrow in her brow made Satu sure she was thinking deeply about the situation, mulling over all possible outcomes.
"Alright," Esmeralia said finally. "We shall come with you to Brysmar."
The boy relaxed visibly, tucking the scroll back in his vest.
“We shall?” Satu turned to look up at her sister, annoyed that she would come to a decision without asking Satu her opinion in the matter.
“Yes.” Esmeralia said firmly. “We are going to see this king, and we are going to inform him that we are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. Once he has agreed to let us come back, we shall return.”
The boy looked up at Esmeralia, seeming slightly awed by her defiance.
“Then we will wait until someone releases Father from Cerigo.” Satu added. “And he can come back.”
Esmeralia’s face hardened. “Father’s not coming back, Satu. This isn’t some fairy story. In real life, people’s fathers don’t come back. They die in a prison kingdom far away, leaving their children alone with neither help nor fortune.”
The boy, now looking somewhat alarmed at her vehemence, stepped back onto the front stoop, giving a small bow that seemed hardly necessary, considering the circumstances.
"Excellent. I'll be outside when you're ready." He said, pulling the door closed after him.
“Father will come back,” Satu said. “I'm sure of it.”
“Come on, let’s go pack some things for our journey.” Esmeralia said, walking through the doorway to the bedroom she and Satu shared.
Fishing a satchel out from under the bed, she began to fill it with clothes.
“He is going to come back.” Satu insisted, stubbornly refusing to drop the subject.
Esmeralia made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat.
“And then we won’t have to live alone anymore.” Satu added. “Father will take care of us.”
“I shouldn’t tell you so many stories.” Esmeralia grumbled, yanking one of Satu’s dresses out from under the bed. “You’re beginning to get ideas.”
“Perhaps he’ll have gold with him too." Satu continued, ignoring her sister's tone. "A treasure he found, a treasure no one ever knew was hidden deep within Cerigo.”
“That’s not how this works, Satu.” Esmeralia said, her voice taking on a hard edge. “This isn’t some story where people find exactly what they need just when they need it! You can’t expect things like that to happen in real life. You’re fourteen now, Satu. Why don’t you grow up a little?"
Satu recoiled, stung by the harshness of her words. “If Father was here he wouldn’t be so cruel. He would tell you to be nice to me.”
“Satu, our father was sent to Cerigo, the prison reserved for the worst people in the Ten Kingdoms. That place is for traitors and murderers. For all we know, he deserves to be there.”
Satu frowned, staring at the wood plank floor.
“Satu, I want him to come back, really.” Esmeralia continued in a softer voice. “I want him to come back and make everything better for us. I want him to be a wonderful person. I really do. But we can’t spend all our time wishing for things that will never happen. People don’t escape from Cerigo, Satu. They don’t. It’s not possible. He’s not coming back.”
Satu turned away.
“Cheer up though.” She added, seeing Satu’s face. “We have each other. That’s enough, isn’t it?”
“I suppose.” Satu said, looking up into her sister's eyes, the color of the sky on a clear day. She fingered the quilt on the bed. The one her mother had made when she was still alive and all was well. “I’ll miss this house.”
Esmeralia's expression softened. "I know it's hard. Leaving this place." she lay a hand on the smooth wooden walls. "But we’re coming back. Remember that. We’re going to go to the king and convince him to let us stay here. Then we'll come back and we can live here again. It will be good for us to get out, anyway, see a bit more of the kingdom. Try to see it like that."
Satu nodded, although she felt she could never see leaving the only home she had ever known and going to some unknown place far away as anything but an unfortunate event.
She drifted into the kitchen, and looked around, perhaps for the last time. What if the king refused? What if he never let them come back?
Something caught her eye, glinting on the floor, illuminated by the light streaming in from the windows above the counter. She stooped to pick it up. It was a fork. Although it was old, with bent tines and rust spotted the handle, she slipped it into the pocket sewn into the inside of her skirt. It settled against her leg with a comforting weight. A relic from a life she was about to leave. Esmeralia stepped up beside her.
"Ready Satu?"
She turned to her sister, and took a deep breath, tilting her chin upwards. "I'm ready."
-
The boy was waiting outside, as he'd promised, studying the overgrown trillium bushes by the door. He looked up when they came out, and took the satchel from Esmeralia, slinging the strap over his shoulder.
"The carriage is this way." he said, walking to the edge of the forest, and glancing back, as if to make sure they were still following.
"Carriage?" that piqued Satu's interest. She had never seen such a thing before. Perhaps this journey would not be quite so bad as she had imagined.
The boy nodded, but did not say anything.
"Have you lived in Brysmar long. . ." Esmeralia faltered.
"My name is Selethin, Miss Cosmina." the boy supplied.
"Alright then. Have you lived in Brysmar long, Selethin?"
He stopped walking, staring at the tree in front of him. Satu stopped too, so as not to run into him. She glanced at Esmeralia, who gave her an uncertain frown. After a while, Satu stepped forward, as if to tap him on the shoulder, but Esmeralia shook her head and held her back.
"Er. . . yes, Miss Cosmina," he said after a long while, shaking himself slightly. "I have. Some time, yes."
They continued walking, and an uncomfortable silence stretched between them.
After around half an hour, they reached the road, where the carriage sat. It was made of pale wood, stretched into a vaguely spherical shape, and pulled by four horses. Satu walked up to the first one, a bored looking creature with a dappled gray coat. She put a hand on its flank, then reached up, and tangled her fingers in its midnight mane, cooing to it softly.
"Satu, come on."
Reluctantly turning back to her sister, who was mounting some steps Selethin had pulled out of the carriage, Satu stepped up.
"After you, Miss Cosmina." Selethin said stiffly, waving a hand.
Satu climbed into the carriage after her sister.
"How far away is Brysmar?" Esmeralia asked.
"A few days." Selethin said vaguely.
"Where will we sleep, then?" Satu asked.
"The carriage seats turn into a bed of sorts, Miss Cosmina." he replied. “You shan’t have to worry about that. We’ll not be sleeping on the ground. Or. . . you won’t, at least.”
There was a sudden jolt, and the carriage began to move.
The uncertainty of her future loomed, but Satu pushed it aside, instead looking out the carriage window as it slowly rolled onward, trying to be excited for the trip. There was not much she could do about it anyway.
For better or for worse, they were headed to Brysmar.
Chapter Two
Selethin lay on the ground some nights later, wishing the carriage turned into two beds instead of only one. The driver, Gristal, had claimed the single man army tent, as he had the previous two nights, leaving Selethin to lay on the hard ground with only a thin blanket. He sighed, rolling off of a rather sharp stick.
"Over here." called a gruff, unfamiliar voice.
Selethin stiffened, rolling silently beneath the carriage, and peering out from between the wheel spokes. Two men were standing in front of the carriage, illuminated faintly in the light of the gibbous moon. One of them held a club, and the other a sword. He heard Gristal cry out in pain, and clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle his own yell.
Another man joined the other two, holding a long knife. "I've dealt with the driver."
"What about the carriage?" The man with the sword asked, his accented voice thick and unfamiliar.
"I'll search it." the man with the club offered.
Selethin was not about to let the men hurt Miss Cosmina, or her sister. He reached behind him, his hands closing on a stick. It was about as long as his arm, and not especially thick, but it would have to do. He rolled out from underneath the carriage, jumping to his feet and brandishing the stick. He had never had any occasion to fight before, that he could remember, and it felt clumsy in his hand.
"Don't come one step further." he said, his voice not coming out quite as commanding as he would have liked.
The man with the sword laughed, "Yiltarn, deal with him."
"You don't give the orders around here." The man he had been addressing snapped. The one with the knife, which was now covered in something dark. He had black tattoos snaking up his arms, and hair that was somewhat more yellow than brown. Selethin did yell out now, calling for Esmeralia and Satulinar to run. He hit the man in the side with the stick, and it broke in two with a sharp snap. The tattooed man let out a bark of amusement at his futile attempt, and bound his hands with a length of thick, coarse rope. Then he shoved him to the ground.
"Ginrot, watch him." he barked, and the man with the sword stepped up to stand by him.
Selethin squirmed on the ground, trying to get his bound hands in front of him.
"Stop moving." Ginrot said, kicking him in the side.
Selethin obeyed, falling still. He heard Esmeralia scream, and a moment later she was thrown on the ground next to him
"Search the carriage," Yiltarn ordered.
Selethin turned toward Esmeralia, whose eyes were wide with fear. She met his gaze.
"Mmphmm." he said, his voice muffled since his face was pressed into the dirt. He was rewarded by another kick in the side.
"There's nothing." The third man's voice said. "One o' the windows is broke, though."
Selethin felt a surge of relief, they had not found Satu then. She must have escaped, at least.
"Are you sure, Bayal?" Yiltarn asked, "because if you're wrong. . ."
"I checked all of the floorboards." the man called Bayal said, "you look then, there's nothing."
There were some clunking noises, then an annoyed grunt.
"He's right." Yiltarn said. "nothing but some supplies."
"It's a nice carriage." Ginrot pointed out. "Why are they out here, anyways? Let's see if we can get them to talk."
Selethin was pulled upright, and his gag was yanked off.
"Why are you here, boy?" Yiltarn asked. He was still holding his knife, covered in what was, now that he got a closer look, clearly blood.
Selethin faltered, glancing at Esmeralia.
Yiltarn noticed his look, gesturing to the swordsman, Ginrot, who pulled Esmeralia to her feet by her hair, holding his sword up to her neck. She let out a small gasp, but stayed completely still.
"Fine." Selethin said, stilling his shaking hands. "We were traveling to Brysmar. The girl is an orphan, being sent to work in the castle. A new law was passed. They were living alone. Please, don't hurt us."
"I don't believe you." Ginrot shouted, pulling Esmeralia closer to his blade.
"Hold on a second." Yiltarn raised a hand, "Tell me, boy, where did she come from? There aren't any towns around here."
Selethin swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. “She was living in the woods, in a cottage. Not in any town."
"He's lying." Ginrot said, shaking Esmeralia. "I say we kill the both of them and be done with it."
"Get a grip on yourself." Yiltarn said, turning back toward them. “What’s your name, girl?"
