being watched

The second Tommy’s men ran, Nat allowed herself a moment to breathe—just one—before a sharp hiss escaped her lips. Pain flared in her arm, making her glance down to see a long slice that the first guy had given her now leaking down her arm, crimson already soaking the fabric. She let out a huff, pushing a hand through her hair just as Edmund joined her.

“Jesus! Your arm’s bleeding!”

“Oh wow, really? I didn’t notice that half my blood was flowing down my arm. But thanks, Edmund, for letting me know,” she replied with a smirk. Edmund huffed in response, hearing the teasing glint coming from her but said nothing more as they both turned to face the sea of children before them.

They looked like they’d been through hell.

Eyes that should have been filled with childlike wonder and hope, something only the truly innocent should hold but those eyes they were now hollow. Natalia had once held that same look in her eyes.

She hated it.

Hated how long these children had been fighting.

Hated how long no one had known.

But now… there was hope. A fragile, flickering hope that these children could return to their homes.

“What happens now?” The girl who had started the rebellion stepped forward. Her eyes were just like the others', but in them was a flicker of freedom… and fury.

“Your free” something so simple but was met with a cry and the sound of mettle hitting the ground from weapon's some of the older children hasn't let go off thinking they would be attack again looked unsure had lost there voices after spending so long being silence they just stared unmoving unsure on what to think.

“What if you don’t have a home to go to?” the girl asked softly, her voice shaking with the burden of the question, Nat sighs softly before kneeling so they were eye level. “You will always have a home,” she said firmly. "No matter where you go, I promise there’ll be a home waiting for you.” Before the girl could speak again, Edmund ran off to find the other children Nat had hidden.

They would be safe.

Now, they just had to find a way to get back to the town without the Queen’s men noticing. The fact they hadn’t shown up yet...

That was never a good sign.

They’d overstayed their welcome. It was only a matter of time before the Queen let her knights off their leash.

“Okay, we can use this—it’ll be a tight squeeze, but it’ll help at best,” Edmund said, running back with a group of terrified children in tow. Nat blinked, surprised he’d managed to coax them out of hiding. “Oh yeah, they like me,” he gloated, smirking at his sister. Nat huffed and rolled her eyes, watching as he dragged a carriage toward them before racing off to get a second one, grunting as he moved it into place.

“Two horses, two carriages. It’s probably the best way to get the hell out of here,” Edmund explained. But the children, especially the younger ones who didn’t understand English, looked frightened and unsure. Nat needed a way to make them understand they were safe. That someone was finally helping them

“So… what next? How we doing this?” Edmund asked, brushing dirt off his clothes as best he could, scanning the sea of weary children around him.“Uh… well, I guess—” Nat fumbled, brushing loose strands of hair out of her braid, avoiding Edmund’s smirk.

“You have no idea, do you?” he teased.

“Well, it’s not my fault I’m not good with kids,” she huffed, trying to defend herself.

“Oh yeah, sure. She’s just good with a sword, but kids? Jesus,” he muttered before crouching down to match the children’s height. "Everything will be okay. We’re going to take you somewhere safe. No one will ever hurt you again. We’ll make sure of that.”

“Who are you?!”

The voice came from the boy in the carriage the one who had caught Natalia’s attention earlier. It was barely a whisper, nearly lost to the wind and the frightened murmurs around them, but the weight of the question carried loud and clear.

“Name’s Edmund, but you can call me Ed. This is my sister, Azura. There’s a town where we live. We can get you food, water, and a place to stay somewhere to be safe in.”

“Safe?”

An even smaller voice broke through, a boy stepping out from the group. It looked like it was the first word he’d spoken in a long time.

“That’s what those men said. Said they’d take us somewhere safe. But they lied… Are you lying too?!” The reaction was instant. Even those who couldn’t understand all the words still understood the meaning.

“STOP!”

The young girl who had helped Natalia escape climbed onto one of the carriages. Her eyes burned with fire, the same as before, and Nat knew this girl would never back down from a fight. “This is our chance for freedom! If we don’t leave now, we might never get another one!” she yelled, voice steady with determination. “Look, I don’t trust these people either-but they gave us a choice. To fight. This might be our only chance!” Her eyes were dark, showing the pain she never wanted to go through again.

“I don’t want to live as a number anymore…”

Natalia’s heart stopped.

The words echoed louder than any shout, and she didn’t even realize her hand had moved to her side-where her own faded mark remained hidden.

016.

Not even Edmund had seen it, not once, despite all the times he’d treated her wounds. He never saw the number. “Hey, are you okay?” Edmund asked, pulling her back to reality. Nat jumped, startled to see the kids climbing into the carriages. It would be a tight squeeze, but enough for the journey back.

“I’m fine. I’ll just get the horses,” she said, brushing the conversation off and running toward the two horses she had tied up out of sight. They looked far too peaceful to be horses in the middle of a fight.

“You’re just trying to make me jealous, girl,” Natalia smirked, brushing her horse’s mane. The horse neighed and nudged her cheek in what felt like a kiss, making her chuckle. “Come on, you actually have to work for once,” she joked, leading both animals back toward the children.

Once there, she strapped them to the front of each carriage.“Okay, this should do it. Hopefully, it’ll be enough for the trip back to the slums.” Edmund made a pointed sound that Natalia would swear came from a drowned cat, making her roll her eyes.

“Okay, fine,” Natalia smirked, staring Edmund dead in the eyes. “The Slightly-Less-Bad-Than-It-Sounds District. Or whatever we’re calling it now.” Edmund’s face fell as the teasing glint in her voice rang clear. He huffed and jumped onto his horse while Natalia chuckled. She caught sight of the first boy—the one who had spoken earlier stared showing he was smiling. His eyes looked just a little lighter. Nat couldn’t help herself.

She winked at him.

She could’ve sworn she heard him laugh.

“Let’s move out.”

….

It took two hours before a voice finally broke through the sound of hooves clopping and the carriage wheels creaking along the worn path. “So… why did you lie about your name, but the boy with the weird hair didn’t?”

Natalia heard the voice behind her, making her glance back, spotting the girl who had started the fight for freedom. Her eyes were filled with curiosity-but also with judgment and mistrust that cut through them making Nat pause. Her gaze shifted to the rest of the children. Most of them were too busy staring in wide-eyed wonder at the forest passing them by. Every tree, every bird call, every rustling leaf seemed like magic to them.

Seeing their wonder brought a small, fleeting smile to Natalia’s face. She knew what it was like to see the world for the first time.

She just wished she'd been able to feel the same wonder when she escaped.

But for her…

It was already too late.

“So.. are you going to tell me or what? Because it’s already hard trusting people, and if you won’t even tell us your real name, how are we supposed to trust you?”

“It’s Natalia,” she admitted softly.

“Azura!!!”

Before she could say more, Edmund’s voice cut through the calm like a blade-sharp, high, and filled with urgency and dread. His hand shot up in a halting gesture, and the horses came to a sudden stop, whinnying in protest.

Natalia looked at Edmund in confusion who didn't utter a word. Nat glanced quickly at the girl behind her whose eyes were filled with fear with not understanding what was going on.

“Stay there, okay? Don’t move.”

She got a nod in response before climbing off her horse and moving to calm it, gently stroking its mane.

“What’s going on?” Natalia asked, making her way over while checking the children in Edmund's carriage, seeing the same fear, Natalia allowed a small resurgence smile- saying that it be okay. Edmund didn’t look at her. Didn’t acknowledge her.

Only the sounds of the forest responded. Birds chirping, trees swaying-

Then silence.

Complete.

Utter.

Silence.

Azura felt it then.

Her magic felt like it was pulsing inside her heart

Something or someone was moving

Watching

The air shifted.

Still.

Heavy.

Wrong.

The sounds of birds gone. The forest, too quiet.

Snap.

“Shit.”