No Longer Alone

Like any day in the village, I was going with my mom to buy some food. As we were close to our home, I saw some kids ran outside to the grass plain. I wanted to join them and see what adventure I could find out there. But an obstacle met my eyes as I looked outside, a barrier, you could say. In my childhood years, I was always confined within the village. But seeing others exploring like that, I asked my mother.

"Mom, Mom, can I join them?" I asked.

She stopped for a while then finally said, "It's a bit soon, Arke. Maybe another time."

I was a bit disappointed, but I was determined to see what lies beyond the walls. As I was still on my mind, I found Iris poking some ants with a stick. I came over and asked her to go with me.

"Hey, Iris. Want to sneak out of the village?"

"Didn't mom tell us to stay here? She warned us not to go out of the village."

"It's fine," I said as I grabbed Iris's hand. "If we are quiet, she won't find out."

I knew that we would be in trouble if we were caught, but my curiosity got the better of me. As we secretly escaped and walked onto the road, I felt a chill in my back. It wasn't because mother found us, but the streets felt different than usual. The villagers were waving their hands as they saw us on. It was the same as always, but... there was a look of menace. A wide smile stretched across their face, but their eyes were cold. It was like looking at a statue, unable to express their true emotion.

"S-Sister, should we go b-back?" Iris grabbed my gown as she was cowering behind me.

"Just stay behind me," I said while desperately trying to hide the shaking from my legs.

Taking Iris's hand beside me, I ran through the village at fast as I could. All I wanted at this point was to reach the gate. I could hear the whispers of the villagers as I ran through them. They were talking about us, but I couldn't understand what they were talking about. I decided not to care about it and continued running forward. Not long after that, an iron gate appeared before me.

"Huff, Huff.." My lungs were rattling and shaking as I took a rest nearby. Iris was barely catching up to me and was exhausted as well.

After a short break, I saw the grass field in front of me. I saw those kids from earlier hanging around an apple tree and decided to come over. I was really nervous since I didn't know what to say.

"Hmm... Maybe I should introduce—"

"Don't come near us!"

An apple suddenly hit my head as I was walking. I turned around and saw glares of disgust from the kids. I was bewildered and didn't know what happened. What did I do wrong? I thought about it as I stood frozen for a moment. I have never spoken to them, but I felt like I was being treated like a monster. When I was still lost in thought, Iris stood up in front of me and shouted.

"Why are you treating us like this?! We just want to play with you!" Her eyes were furious as she cried out.

"You demon child! Our parents said we would get taken by the devil if we play with you!"

All kinds of thoughts came upon me at this moment. Why did they call us a demon's child? Was this why mom warned us? Or the reason we were being looked at on the street? I stood up and was still confused and scared. The kids were throwing more apples towards me, but I couldn't respond. I was lost in thought and didn't know what to do...

***

After Arke told her story, her face looked a bit pale and sad. She didn't say a word after she finished. It wasn't pleasant to remember what they had gone through before. A demon's child? She couldn't wrap around such thoughts. Seeing Arke shaking as she reminds herself, Erik came over and cheered her up.

"Cheer up! It's all in the past, right?" Erik pats her on the shoulder, "Our mothers should have done baking. Let's go home and eat!"

Arke had a slight smile and stood up, "Aaaaaa, I want to eat some oatcakes now." Said Arke. The voice of Erik comforted her and regained her spirit. She wonders if there will be some honey to dip the oatcakes in.

"Come on Iris," She took Iris's hand, "I'm excited to try out the cakes!"

Walking through the street again, they realized that it was different. No longer the scary look they have felt, or the constant whispers, but just normal conversations and the villagers greeting them. Even Iris, who was so gloomy from the start, was skipping along the street with her sister. The village now looked different in their eyes, which made them more bright. Erik followed behind them, happy that he had somewhat helped them overcome their past. All of them were now hungry for the treat.

"Mom, is the cake done?" Arke and Iris came inside the bakery and asked excitedly.

Seeing the cheerful expression of the two sisters, Adelaine was happy. She took the oatcakes out of the oven, plate them and put some honey on them. All of them were eyeing it and can't wait to taste what it's like. The three gathered on top of the table on the side of the oven. It was full of flour, and their hands were covered with white spots everywhere, but they couldn't care as they smell the cakes.

The honey and oatcakes, a simple combination but amazingly flavorful. The oatcakes are plain but addictive, while the honey gave off a shiny finish on top. Taking a bite into it, the two felt they were in bliss.

"It tastes amazing! The cake itself is crunchy and perfectly thin while the honey gave off a rich and sweet feeling." The usually quiet Iris spoke up as she tasted the oatcakes. "I want to eat some more!"

On the other hand, Arke and Erik were licking their finger when the honey drip onto their hand. The two mothers watching from the side were giggling quietly as they looked at their children.

"So, how is it? I said that my boy would be good with them" Mabel chuckled.

Adelaine replied, "I am grateful that my daughters are happy again, but don't you think of taking them, ok?"

They were all having a happy moment, but then they heard a footstep from outside. It kept getting louder, and the sound seemed to multiply over time. Curious about it, they all decided to take a peek.

It was a group of knights. They were riding on horses as they stop in the middle of the village. They wore armor that was so shining that it was blinding. A knight came out in front, held out a big parchment paper and started talking.

"I am Audrie Bramfield, a knight from the Winterkeep Fortress. I am here to carry out a decree from the kingdom." His voice was clear and rang through the entire village, "We are looking for a woman named Adelaine Viotto."

The village was silent as he gave out the decree. Seeing that no one spoke up, Audrie ordered the knights to search every house. Adelaine pulled her daughters into the house as they started moving.

"Arke, Iris, don't worry about me and run as far as you could." Adelaine said as she hugged them. She weeps at the thought of leaving them but tried not to show hesitation. "Here, keep this pendant. It will keep you safe when you are in trouble."

"B-But Mom, I don't want to leave. I want to stay with you!" Arke cried out, holding the pendant in her hand.

Iris was shedding tears as she said, "Why do we have to go alone? I am tired of hiding from everyone!"

"I'm sorry," Adelaine said. "You can't stay here anymore." Light started to shine below their feet. A strange rune was there and a second later, they were gone. Just like that, the two disappeared from the room.